The Fate of Destiny
by spiritore
Summary: An ancient evil is stirring once more and the Goddess Soa resorts to drastic measures. In doing so, she sends the Dragoons back into danger, where they will regain an old friend and meet a young man caught up in their journey.
1. Prologue: Rebirth and Awakening

*pops her head out* Eh, I made some major revisions to some parts of this -- mainly chapters 3 and 4, the others are pretty much unchanged -- because spelling errors, descriptions and other things were getting on my nerves.

Yinyl: *nods wisely* Meaning she let it stagnate for so long that several new ideas popped into her itty-bitty little brain and she had to change certain things to make them fit in the fic later on.

Ore: So that's how it goes, huh? *glares* You leave me alone to rot for months on end . . .

Niela: We had a little vacation, decided we missed you to a certain degree and came back. *bright smile*

Deriick: What can you say? We muses are erratic. *big ol' smirk*

Yinyl: *innocently twists a piece of hair around her finger* Of course, we could bore of you at anytime . . .

Ore: *groans and slaps hand on forehead* I'm going to have to bribe you to stay, aren't I?

All muses: *share a glance and together* What do you think? ^__^

The Fate of Destiny

Prologue: 

Rebirth and Awakening

In the deep bowels of Endiness something stirred. The scent of things long since dead came off of it and in its dark, dank cave unseen blackness swirled off it. The creature was stirring. . .

*****

Shirley shook her head. No good. . .this was no good at all. She watched the black haired woman fret and worry in front of the mirror. Why did she go on torturing herself? Why couldn't she just accept that she was dead? /No, she knows she's dead, something else is holding her back. But what is it?/ Shirley frowned. /She won't even tell Zieg. I don't know what I'm going to do./

"Rose. . ." The black haired woman turned her head slowly, glaring at Shirley. "Oh Rose, why can't you move on? Everyone is waiting for you."

Rose's glare softened a bit around the edges. "Not everyone, Shirley. Not everyone."

Shirley looked into the mirror behind Rose, catching a glimpse of a young female Wingly dancing around in front of a royal couple. Shirley knew who they were and her frown deepened. "They are the reason you won't move on? These people are the reason you won't leave Purgatory for Paradise? I understand that they were your friends, but this is ridiculous Rose! They will join you shortly enough if you go on to Paradise, for the time will fly by in an instant. But if you stay here Purgatory, each moment that passes down on Endiness will feel like a century here. So why do you stay?"

"You really want to know Shirley?" Rose glanced back towards the mirror. "When I was alive I did not change for 11,000 years, but when I met them time finally caught up with me, and as much as I dislike admitting it, I changed for the better. These people changed me for the better." Rose's voice was emotionless as it could be, but Shirley thought she could hear a tint of sadness in its depths. "I lived for over 11,000 years and only in the last few months did I really learn to live. Now I feel cheated that I did not get to live longer. So I watch the friends I made on Endiness and try to glean some of the joy from them."

Shirley took a step towards Rose and placed a hand on her shoulder. "In Paradise you wouldn't have to glean joy from anybody. You could be with Damia, Syuveil, Kanzas, Belzac, and I once more. You could have Zieg to lov-"

"No!" Rose jerked away and an expression close to anger crossed her face. "I don't want that. Zieg loves Claire and while I know that having him to love in Paradise would not ruin their relationship, I could not do it. I don't know when it happened, but I find that I no longer love him. I told you I changed."

Rose locked her violet eyes with Shirley, silently pleading to her. "If I move on to Paradise I would no longer be able to observe Endiness, for in Paradise everything is perfect and being able to look down upon Endiness would ruin that perfection. Endiness is full of death and violence, lies and bloodshed, it would contaminate Paradise. And only those with special passes from Soa Herself are allowed to come to Purgatory once they are in Paradise. I would not be able to handle that."

"Rose, the reason all of us have been able to visit you is that Soa wants you to join us in Paradise."

"Soa? She wants me to come to Paradise? Funny considering that I helped kill Her ultimate creation, the God of Destruction."

"That was a mistake. She didn't truly mean to create Him." Shirley realized that Rose was ignoring her. "We can only come here for so long. Even Soa is losing Her patience with you Rose. If you keep this up, you will not be able to move on to Paradise."

"It doesn't matter." Rose turned towards the mirror and observed once more. For several seconds her entire concentration was on watching the people in it. Watching them laugh, dance, and enjoy each others company. Watching them live. "Paradise is not where I wish to be."

In that instant Shirley knew what she meant. /She wants to be alive once more. Why didn't I see this sooner?/

*****

In the darkness black magic gathered around the creature. Like snakes, it oozed into the creature's hide, feeding it. The creature was attracting the magic like a magnet attracts iron. The black magic seeped into the creature's skin. . .

*****

"So Terran, you ask a girl to the Spring Festival yet?" Kirri nudged an elbow into the ribs of the young man who walked by his side. "It's next weekend." That was stating an obvious fact. The whole town knew the Spring Festival was coming.

"No, I haven't." The young man rubbed ruefully at his side.

Kirri shook his head in disbelief, "Man, you better get cracking. If you don't ask soon all the good girls will have already been taken up."

Terran glanced at the ground and kicked at a rock that was in his way. His vibrant green eyes watched it roll away and he only spoke up when the rock had come to a stop. "None of the girls around here interest me. Or the ones that do already have boyfriends or are engaged. Not much I can do about that."

"You have got to be kidding me. There are plenty of interesting girls in town." Kirri glanced down the street and let out a whistle, "Like that one for instance."

Nineteen year old Terran pulled his gaze up from the road to see what girl had caught his friends eye. There was a bunch of girls in front of them, but Terran knew which one Kirri meant. She stood out like a blackbird among a bunch of sparrows. She was taller than the rest of her friends, wearing an expensive and terribly fashionable dress. Ridiculously long black hair was piled up on top of her head in an absurd hairstyle. Her gold-brown eyes shined with a certain vindication, and her lily-white skin only emphasized her delicate features. She was a masterpiece of beauty and she knew it. The whole town knew it too.

Terran snorted, "You mean the bitch witch?"

"Oh, Meirra's not that bad. I mean she's a bit spoiled and everything, but what can you expect when she looks like that. Who wouldn't want to spoil her?" Kirri was eyeing her up and down with glee. He was obviously enjoying the view.

"What do you mean not that bad?" Terran felt more than a little bit indignant. "Not only is she a bit spoiled, she manipulates people into doing what she wants and when she's done with them she treats them like a broken toy and throws them out with the trash. You know I bet that she's slept wi-" Terran's rant was cut short as the nearby church bell began to peel out the time.

Terran swept his longish dark brown hair out of his eyes and glanced towards the sun. "Dammit, I'm late for weapons practice. My uncle is going to kill me."

The lanky young man started to jog in the direction of where Meirra stood with her friends as he shouted goodbye to Kirri. His train of thought on how much trouble he was going to be in for missing the beginning of practice.

What happened next was blurred in memory to him. The first thing he heard was Kirri's frantic shouts and then came the sound of thundering hooves. He looked back to see a frantic man desperately trying to get his out of control horse back under his control. It wasn't working and the horse was heading right into his direction. In the nick of time, he dived out of the way and to safety. Unfortunately, someone else wasn't so lucky.

Meirra's friends had caught sight of the panicked horse and were panicking themselves, scrambling for cover and bouncing off each other. One of them -- in her haste -- ran into Meirra causing the black haired girl to stumble a few steps back. . .right into the oncoming horse's path. For Terran -- who now was the one standing nearest to her -- everything seemed to slow down to a crawl.

The horse ran right into Meirra and she did not fall to the ground and become trampled under the horse's hooves like Terran expected, but instead was thrown forcefully to the side. She struck the ground with an audible cracking sound and the horse continued to run on by. Time once more resumed its proper course.

In the next instant Terran found himself kneeling by her side, trying to find a pulse along neck like he had done so many times when he helped his mother in her work. He found it, albeit beating faintly. Then he was shouting at the surrounding crowd for someone to fetch his mother, the town's doctor.

*****

Deep within the creature's breast, its heart beat once. Blood that had not moved for eons sluggishly moved through the creature's veins. The heart forced the blood to once more move. The creature's heart began to beat out a rhythm. . .

*****

In Paradise a pain ripped through the Goddess' mind. One moment Soa had been listening to Her subject, who stood at one of Her altars in Paradise, the next a silent alarm was ringing in Her head. She knew immediately what it was. An evil Her people had trapped so very long ago was stirring. An evil that She could not control and that had once threatened to destroy Her.

Something had caused its minions to start stirring and once they awakened, they would gather to it and awaken it as well. Soa would have to depend on Her people on Endiness to trap it once more. But how? She could no longer communicate with Her people down on Endiness. There was no way she could warn them of the danger until it was too late.

She realized that the answer stood in a way. The red-haired woman still stood at the altar. Soa knew her well, for she had once been the Dragoon of the Silver White Dragon. She was know pleading for Soa to give her a little more in persuading Rose to come to Paradise and not to sit in Purgatory yearning to live.

Soa allowed Herself an amused smile. The Dark Dragoon had even worn on Her everlasting patience, saying that she would not come to Paradise. But perhaps it had been a blessing in disguise for once a spirit had been to Paradise was not able to live on Endiness ever again. That was one of the Divine Laws set for all the Gods. However since Rose was still in Purgatory, she could still be reborn or something similar to that.

*Do not worry anymore child. I shall not banish the Dragoon of the Black Burst Dragon from coming to Paradise.* Shirley jumped back in shock. The Goddess Herself rarely spoke to her. She usually sent a messenger. *But I will not force her to come here. Instead I will make a deal with her.*

Soa watched the ex-Light Dragoon's face crinkle in confusion. The Goddess making a deal with a mere mortal was unheard of. *I will give Rose life again, if she promises to take up the mantel of the Dark Dragoon again.* Soa thought of a soul that had just arrived and the body it had once belonged too. An almost exact replica of Rose's old body. *I have the perfect carrier for her spirit, but if she truly wants it she must go on one last quest for Me.*

"What is that My Goddess?" Shirley obviously would do anything to help her friend.

*She must reunite the Dragoons and lead them to destroy an ancient evil that has remained trapped since the world began. Then she may live her life as she pleases, with My blessing.* Shirley's mouth fell open, trying to comprehend what Soa was telling her.

*Go to her now My child and tell her that. If she accepts I will tell her all she needs to know.* The Goddess knew that Rose would accept. It was too great a temptation for her to pass up.

*****

There was a rush of air being sucked into the creature's lungs. Then there was silence and in a sudden burst of sound the air rushed back out, disturbing the dust that had covered the creature. The creature started to breathe. . .

*****

Sobs echoed throughout the small room and Terran glanced at his mother as she mournfully started to put away her medicines and bandages. It was too late for Meirra. The girl had stopped breathing just a few moments ago and despite his mother's best efforts she never would breathe again.

It had been a futile effort anyways. Seventeen-year-old Meirra had broken her ribs when she had been thrown backwards and one apparently had cleaved through her lungs and pierced her heart.

Now Meirra's distraught mother was draped over her body with her husband desperately trying to console her. Terran stepped closer, trying to get a better look at Meirra's face. She looked peaceful, like a child sleeping. There was no sign of the arrogance that had been in her face, only a look of complete calmness, a look of peace. /It's strange how much a person's continence can change from when they are awake to the time when they are sleeping or dead. Meirra looks like a completely different person./

Terran was the only one looking at her when it happened. His mother was still off putting her medical supplies away. Meirra's mother was now curled up in her husband's arms and together both of them were lost in the grief of losing their only child. Neither paid anymore attention to her dead body, but Terran did.

For one instant he swore a silver glow covered Meirra's body. It sparkled and shimmered there for but a moment and then it faded away only to be replaced by a dark purple-black glow. That glow vanished after a moment as well, seeming to sink into her skin. Terran shook his head. /I must be seeing things. It has to be my imagination./

The events that happened next would always remain etched in his mind forever. For him in the second instance that day, time slowed to a crawl.

*****

The creature opened its soulless eyes. Its body moved slowly, stretching and curling, shedding the dirt it had acquired during it's deathlike sleep. The creature had awoken. . .

*****

The dead girl opened her pale lips and through them, a shuddering breath was drawn. It rattled through her lungs and when the air was expelled, she let out a sigh.

An eerie silence filled the room, as everyone turned their attention to the girl. Terran stared in shock. She was dead, it was impossible for her to actually be breathing. He took a couple of steps closer, studying her intently. Maybe it had been some sort of delayed reaction, his mother had told him of dead people moving hours after they had been dead, something to do with the nerves. That was it, a delayed nerve reaction. . .

That was when the girl sat up, eyes wide open and screaming in terror. And Terran found himself staring into ageless dark violet eyes that had once been golden brown. The dead girl lived again.

*****

The creature began to move away from it's dark lair. It was the first of it's Masters beasts to arise. Soon there would be more. Many more. Then together they would go to awaken their Master. But not now. Now the creature would rest and wait for the right time.

The creature slithered out of the cave it had lived in for so long and began to look for a new home, nearer to the surface of Endiness. The Black Wyrm was on the move and death followed in its wake.

*****

TBC . . .

*wipes forehead* Stupid misspelling of Zieg's name.

Yinyl: So have you decided what you're going to bribe us with? *eyes atwinkle*

Ore: *glare* Give me till the end of the 5th chapter. We'll see then.


	2. Part One: The Summoning

Oh, hum. Another wonderful revision to this fic made by me. Not much changed in this part, 'cept for a few words and descriptions. *scratches head* Yup, that's it.

/. . . denotes thoughts or a certain word is emphasized. . ./

*. . . denotes mindspeech. . .*

. . . denotes flashback or a vision. . .

The Fate of Destiny

Part One:

The Summoning

In the city of Deningrad, nearly a month after the Spring Festival, the First Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau received her summons to go to Serdio. This summons did not come from Queen Theresa, nor did it come from any mortal source. The summons came from the white jewel she wore at her neck. The Stone of the Silver White Dragon.

The First Sacred Sister Miranda was at the time directing the rebuilding of the Crystal Palace. With the help of the newly discovered Winglies from the Evergreen Forest -- after nearly nine months -- the reconstruction of the Palace was nearly finished. She often admired the blue-green crystal spire rising into the sky. And along with the repairing of the Crystal Palace, the rest of the town was returning to its original status as being one of the most remarkable cities on Endiness.

Miranda had just sent a Wingly to check on construction on the other side of the Palace. She watched the Wingly speed off with a smile on her face. While there were certain levels of distrust between the Humans and the Winglies, there was also a rough sense of camaraderie as well. It could be seen everywhere. The children of Winglies and Humans played in the streets together while their parents worked. Their laughter gave life to the streets of Deningrad.

She looked down as a ball rolled right next to her feet. The blond haired woman picked the ball up and saw it's owners not to far from her. A little Human girl and a little boy from the Winglies. Neither ran off, they stood together bravely, holding each other's hand with determination. The looks on their faces showed that they expected to be in trouble. A year ago they would have been, but the Sacred Sister had changed in her time as a Dragoon. Her temper was now rarely seen, she smiled more often, and her touch often soothed the hurt and pained.

Miranda laughed, dispelling the children's' worries, and threw the ball back towards them. She waved them off to go back to playing and shouted a warning behind them. "Try not to play so close to the construction zone. You could get hurt."

As she was turning back to her observations that was when it struck. She felt a sharp pain within her breast and unconsciously she reached up to grab the Dragoon Spirit that hung from her neck. /This pain. . . where does it come from?/

In reply there came an unexpected answer. Soothing and melodious there came a feminine voice, like it had always been there waiting for her to communicate with it. It echoed through her head, reverberating and driving her to her knees. *The darkness. . . it comes.*

/Darkness? What darkness?/

*Serdio. . . Your questions can only be answered if you travel to Bale. There your fate awaits you.*

Then like that the voice was gone and Miranda found herself kneeling on Deningrad's marble streets surrounded by concerned Winglies and Humans. They gathered around her in a circle and both species stared at her with wonder and fear etched on their faces. Miranda wondered why they were looking at until she saw that between her grasped hands the Stone of the Silver White Dragon was pulsing with a golden white light. It lit up the street brighter than the sun that shone down.

Miranda released the Stone from her hands and staggered to her feet. The Dragoon Spirit started to lose a little of its glow until there was only a faint glimmering of that golden white light shimmering across the Stone's surface. An instant later the First Sacred Sister found herself running towards the Crystal Palace. The only thing she knew was that somehow Endiness was once more in danger and she was being called back into the role of the Silver White Dragoon.

Two hours later Miranda was heading towards Bale with the nearly awakened Dragoon Spirit still shining at her neck. After nearly nine months of peace the Light Dragoon found herself heading back into danger.

*****

Haschel and Kongol did not know of what had happened to Miranda, but nearly one week after her incident something similar happened to them. Their summons came while they were inspecting a newly made hole that Kongol had accidentally made in the side of Haschel's hut.

"Sorry. Kongol still not know his own strength." The Giganto glanced worriedly at Haschel. He really hadn't meant to throw the rock through the wall. He had just wanted to entertain some of the children and when they had asked him to throw a rock that easily weighed forty pounds, as far as he possibly could. He had forgotten that Haschel's home was in the way.

"Don't worry m'boy. It's not that bad." The martial artist took a step back and studied the damage. The people of Rouge had welcomed Haschel back home and quickly accepted the Giganto into their lives. While Kongol caused some accident similar to this at least once a week, it was hard for anybody to stay mad at the amiable Giganto. The children especially loved him. "I've always wanted a window on this side anyways."

Kongol sighed. /Good. Haschel not mad./ He knew that he had a home in Rouge, but every time he did something wrong up came the old fear that he would be rejected. Slowly however that fear was being vanquished. /Good friends here. They not fear Kon-/

The Giganto found himself doubling over as waves of pain washed over him. /Where hurt come from? Kongol not injured./

A deep and rumbling voice answered within the depths of his mind. The sensations that washed over him gave a feeling of great steadfastness and calm. *No, you are not injured. Evil is once more on the rise. That is what you are feeling.*

/Something evil? Kongol want to know what evil./

The voice gave a laugh. *You will know soon enough. . . Go to Bale and that will be a beginning.*

Haschel was amazed when he saw Kongol fold up in pain. /What's wrong with him?/ He had not even taken a step towards the Giganto when it struck him and he found himself clutching the wall in an effort to stay standing up. The agony rolled over him in waves. /This is not right. What is this?/

*You are correct. This is not right.* A masculine voice, sharp and crackling like breaking trees answered inside his head. It brought a sense of a quick and furious temper to Haschel. Something that could not be contained.

/Who are you?/

*Go to Serdio to find the answer to that. Bale to be exact.*

The voice was gone in a flash and Haschel looked up see Kongol regaining his feet as well. The Giganto's Golden Dragoon Spirit burst forth with a great golden light and Haschel's own Dragoon Spirit answered in kind. With purple and golden light bathing the area, Haschel and Kongol looked into each other's eyes and knew without a doubt that they both knew what they had to do.

As the light from their Stones died down both found themselves packing for a trip to Bale. The Lightening Dragoon and the Earth Dragoon had a date with destiny there.

*****

It was nearly two months after the Spring Festival and almost one month to the annual Summer Celebration when Meru had the Stone of the Blue Sea Dragon awakened. The little Wingly was in Fletz and she had just finished a gigantic meal that left her feeling overly stuffed and terribly pleased with herself.

She had the Twin Castle's cook wrapped around her finger. All it had taken was a couple of months of playing the role of a sweet but mischievous girl before the cook had been charmed by her actions. Unfortunately it also meant that the cook had decided to take Meru under her wing and teach her how to be a proper young lady. That meant that whenever it wasn't meal time, Meru had to escape the attentions of the cook.

So now she was laying on the balcony that jutted out from the guest bedroom she was staying in, and admiring the stars. She was considered a friend of Princess Lisa's and given the respect of all the staff. No one, with the exception of Princess Lisa and her handmaiden, knew she was a Wingly not even the King. It had been nice at first, getting bowed to and being treated like royalty, but now it was just getting boring. /Maybe I should go someplace different. I could visit Haschel. He always liked me./

Nine months ago at the wedding of Albert and Emille was the last time she had seen any of the other Dragoons. /I miss everyone. I guess it is time that I move on. I've stayed in one spot long enough./ Meru was pushing herself off the cold floor when she suddenly found herself falling back as shudders of pain went through her body. The Wingly curled up in a ball in a desperate attempt to rid herself of the agony. Moans and cries issued forth from her mouth. /Is someone attacking me?/

*No one is attacking you little one.* A light and cheery voice sounded within her mind. In its wake the feeling of understanding and never-ending patience washed over Meru. *It is rising. Soon it will wake.*

/What is rising? When will it wake?/

The voice let out a girlish giggle and replied in a sing song voice, *Your answers lay in Serdio. Your journey begins in Bale. Your destiny awaits thee in the future. Hurry there, little one.*

The voice departed and Meru opened her eyes to the blue light of her Dragoon Spirit vibrating throughout the night sky. The light died down as Meru moved into her room and started to pack. In the dawn of the next day as Meru was leaving Fletz, she ran into Haschel and Kongol waiting at the entrance of town for her. After a quick conversation amongst themselves, all three headed to Serdio.

Not far down the trail they found Miranda waiting for them. The Water Dragoon wasn't surprised in the least. They were being called together once more.

*****

All the way in Seles, Dart had his Dragoon Spirit awaken with only two and a half weeks left till the Summer Celebration. Only it was in a slightly different way than the others. He had just escaped from the attentions of Shana's mother, who was demanding to know what the color scheme of their wedding was going to be.

He ruefully ran his hand through his hair. /You would think that the wedding was tomorrow with the way she's acting, not three months away. I hope Shana's almost finished with the dress fitting./ It was perfect timing, Dart looked up to see his fiancee hurrying towards him, relief on her beautiful face.

He prepared to sweep her up in his arms and swing her around when it came over him. Without warning, he found himself stumbling backwards in a hopeless attempt to stay upright as wave upon wave of pain wracked his body. His back hit a wall and he was sliding down to the ground. He heard Shana's panicked scream but it no longer mattered to him for he was beset upon by images and sounds.

He was surrounded by darkness. It hid everything from sight. The blood that he knew covered the ground and the people who's agonized screams tore the air. The only thing he could see were the others. Miranda, Kongol, Haschel, Meru, and Albert all stood next to him sheltered within the light of their Dragoon Spirits. They were in their Dragoon Armor, as was he. /What is this?/

The powerful and ageless voice that responded to his unspoken question shook him to the core. It was a voice filled with pride and authority. *A glimpse of what could be. Of what might happen in the future. Of the evil you will have to face.*

An enormous figure rose in front of Dart and the others. It was so massive that Dart could not even get an idea of its shape. The figure struck a paralyzing fear in Dart. Unbelievable amounts of power rolled off it and with out a doubt Dart knew that it would take all of the Dragoons' power to destroy that, if it was even possible. /There is no way only six Dragoons can defeat that!/

*You are right. All eight Dragoons are needed to defeat the rising evil.* Two lights appeared in front of Dart. One was fire-red, the other a purple-black, and within each was the silhouette of a person in Dragoon armor. He knew who they were. The Fire Dragoon and the Darkness Dragoon, each of their Spirits, along with their carriers, had been destroyed with Melbu Frahma. Hadn't they?

/Who are they?/

*The journey to finding your answers starts in Bale. You must go there. Hurry, soon it will begin.*

Everything disappeared into darkness around Dart, except for the two glowing frames in front of him. They stood there unchanging, just burning in their own light. Nothing showed to give him any clue to their identity. The two lights mingled with each other and slowly faded away.

Dart gasped for breath and when he opened his eyes, he saw that he was bathed in glowing light. The whole square was bathed in a multitude of colored light, all dancing and shimmering, revealing every dark nook and cranny in it's brightness. The light came from the Stone of the King of the Dragons where it hanged at his neck.

Shana's eyes were wide open and she looked down at him with anxiety. He met her chocolate brown eyes with a fierce urgency. "I need to go to Basil. Now."

His fiancee never questioned him. Amid the fading light from his Stone, she helped him gather his things. Her things were packed right along with his.

A short time later they headed out of Seles for the Capital of Serdio. It was then that the Ultimate Dragoon told her what he had felt and seen.

*****

Not long after Dart's experience, King Albert had his own Dragoon Spirit awaken after having it sleep in silence for nearly a year. He stood on the roof of his castle with his arms wrapped around his wife's waist, his hands resting slightly on her slightly bulging belly. Together, at the end of each day, they stood like this and watched the sun set.

Albert glanced fondly at Emille and gently patted her stomach. "She's going to be very beautiful. Just like her mother. And kind and graceful."

She turned around and threw her arms around his neck and wrapped her fingers in his long brown hair. "And how can you be so sure the baby will be a girl." She looked up into his face and gave a teasing smile. It was no wonder that the people of Serdio already loved her. She was everything that could be wanted in a Queen. "It could be a boy."

Albert returned the smile. "A boy it may be. . ." He bowed his head slightly to kiss his wife on the forehead, "but I know it is a girl."

The King watched his Queen throw back her head and laugh. /She is my life now. I would do anything for her./ He wrapped his arms around her tighter and brought her in for a kiss. /If only I was free to do so./

Before their lips could touch Albert jerked back out of her arms. Pain and agony pounded into him. It crushed him in its grasp. /Why is this happening to me?/

A voice, wise, gentle, and masculine, spoke to him. Something in the voice was ever-changing, continuously moving. *Because an ancient evil rises from its slumber.*

/What ancient evil? And who is speaking to me?/

The voice gave a wispy sounding sigh. *I cannot answer those questions. I can only tell you that the other Dragoons will be here tomorrow. And when they arrive together you must go to the Marshland. There everything will start and a question will be answered.*

The voice was gone leaving Albert standing and the green light of the Stone of the Green Tusked Dragon resonating into the dusky sky. Without reason he knew that he could trust the voice and that he had to do what it asked. His wife stood nearby her hand covering her mouth in shock. He locked his brown eyes with her blue ones. "I have to leave tomorrow. When I go you will have to take care of Serdio for me."

She hugged him to her and he explained what he had to do. After, when tears welled up in her eyes and in his as well, he promised that he would be back before the baby was born. That gave him four months to finish whatever he was setting out to do.

When morning came King Albert was in the front foyer of his castle. When the other Dragoons -- plus a very weary Shana -- came in the Wind Dragoon greeted them.

*****

In the town of Isren, not far from Lohan, Terran pushed himself to keep up with Meirra. The black haired girl moved fast and with a grace that had never been with her before her accident. A lot about the girl had changed since the accident. Her eyes remained violet and her temperament had take a turn in the opposite direction.

No one could explain how she miraculously started to breathe on her own. Or why in a weeks time she was back on her feet as if nothing had ever happened. That wasn't the only unusual thing however. The day she had started to walk around she had been found throwing her dresses all out the window and changing into some of her father's clothes. This started the suspicion that maybe she had hit her head on the ground a little harder than thought when she had been injured and her mind was now addled. So Terran's mother, the town's doctor, had told Terran to keep an eye on her.

Terran found that a harder job than expected and he had thought it was going to be hard. Meirra was no longer the snobbish arrogant girl she had once been. Now she walked around with a calm and dangerous air that sent people scurrying away from her. She refused to wear dresses any longer as well. She wore men's clothing all the time. That had started almost immediately. She had been found throwing her dresses and other womanly articles out of the window and onto the street, while being dressed in her father's overly large clothing. That had been a spectacle and had sent people in town muttering about how she was possessed by a demon or something.

Then she had started to work out. She would run for miles on end and then practice with any weapons she could get her hands on. Terran had found himself helping her to get those weapons, fully intrigued by the change in her. Keeping an eye on her was a full time job and he found himself missing practice with his uncle more often than naught. Not that he minded, working out with Meirra had gotten him into better shape than he had ever been in his life.

Meirra stopped running in the middle of a glade, Terran came to a halt beside her. Neither spoke, they just stood there with the sunlight shining down on them. Terran found himself staring at his companion. The first time he had gone on a run with her, she had given him a glare that if it could have would have left him dead on the spot. Slowly a bond had formed between them and now nearly four months after that day, they had a strange friendship. But it was a friendship.

"Soon it will be the time for the Summer Celebration. Am I right?" Meirra gazed at him with those violet eyes that had the townspeople talking of demons and possessions.

"Yes. In a week there will be the festival for it." He gave her a smile, hoping that she would give him one in return.

Meirra looked at the ground thoughtfully before she raised her head and graced him a small yet noticeable grin, but not before he saw sadness flicker in her eyes. She stood poised, relaxed and ready to move in a second. A faint tan covered her skin, but other than that her pale skin refused to hold any color, no matter how long she was outside. The sun's golden rays shone on her hair, lending the black strands a bluish tinge. /By Soa is she beautiful./

Terran frowned. Where had that thought come from? And why now? He had known her nearly his whole life and now he was developing a crush on her? But she wasn't the same. She had changed after the accident, but why? Then Terran remembered the glittering lights he had seen over her body just before she had started breathing again. But how had that changed her unless. . . /She's not really Meirra./

"Who are you?"

Meirra jerked her head around and Terran saw fear flicker over her normally unemotional face. "What do you mean?"

"You're not Meirra. Who are you?" Terran grabbed her arm before she could even think about running away. He was angry. He should have seen this sooner, that she wasn't what everyone thought. Or perhaps he had. . . and he hadn't wanted to admit it. "And what did you do with Meirra?"

The violet eyed girl. . . no, woman sagged in his grip. She stared up at him with unnerving calm. Something in her gaze gave Terran shivers down his spine. "You're right. I'm not Meirra. And I didn't do anything to her. Meirra died the day of the accident just as it was meant to happen. I am not able to tell you who I am though."

Silence filled the meadow and Terran felt the sharp cold of metal against his throat. "Still you know too much even if you do not know my true name. I should kill you. . ." The woman held the dagger at his throat and Terran knew his death was approaching, "but I don't want too. So I will make a deal with you."

Her voice had been calm and unaffected sounding the whole time, but now she hesitated. "I was planning to leave Isren tonight, however, your discovery has changed my plans. I will be going to Lohan now and from there on to various other places. I have a quest to fulfill and if you go on it with me, you will most likely die. But I offer you the choice. You can die now, or die later journeying with me on my quest. And don't even think that you could run away from me." She gave a crooked smile and that combined with her next words made Terran want to take her in his arms and comfort her for some reason. "I have plenty of experience on killing those who try to run from me."

As Terran stood there, he realized he wasn't afraid of this woman who stood in front of him, able to control whether he would live or die. /She's taking a risk bringing me with her. Why is she doing this? I guess there's only one way to find out./

Terran lifted his head away from the dagger. "I will go with you." Everything fell into place, this was supposed to happen. His entire life had been in preparation for what lay ahead of him. "Only I won't die and I won't run away."

The woman took the dagger away from his neck. With a toss of her head she set forth in the direction of Lohan. She wasn't worried at all about Terran following her. She didn't need to worry, because he found himself following her like a dog and he knew he couldn't bring himself to do her any harm, whoever she was.

"Since you are not Meirra. . . what should I call you?"

His question brought the woman to a stop and she looked over her shoulder at him, a thoughtful expression gracing her face. "Continue calling me Meirra. And when you do find out my real name. . . for you will, do not even think of calling me it. No one may know who I am."

She resumed walking, leaving Terran following in her footsteps. /You say that no one may know who you are. Then why did you nearly admit that I would find out who you are? Is there a specific reason for keeping me alive. . . Or are you just going on your feelings?/

*****


	3. Part Two: Welcome to the Marshland . . .

*rubs eyes* This part is revised, a couple of descriptions changed, grammar fixed, spelling errors fixed . . . *plods onward to the next part*

/. . . denotes thoughts or a certain word emphasized. . . /

*. . . denotes mindspeech. . . *

. . . denotes a flashback or vision. . . 

The Fate of Destiny

Part Two:

Welcome to the Marshland. . .

The rancid smell of rotten and dead things wafted upon the air. It invaded all the senses and made eyes water with the fumes that came off the swamp. Terran continuously tried to breath out his mouth, but he quickly found that it only worsened the situation. It was now as if he could taste the air itself. He quickly closed his mouth and resumed breathing through his nose. /This is disgusting! I don't understand how she isn't the least bit nauseated./

Meirra strode ahead of him into the dark gloom of the Marshland, unaffected in the least. Terran was baffled at that. She walked through the swamp like she owned the place. Monsters roamed around in the marsh like bees in a hive and when they attacked them she never blinked. Together -- she and Terran -- held them back with ease. It might have been because they were now dressed in armor, armed with weapons, and equipped with necessary healing items. All had been acquired in Lohan at a merchant's shop.

Distracting himself from the ever present and ever unpleasant smell of the swamp, Terran unconsciously found himself studying the way Meirra's long black hair swung across the back of her black and silver armor. The armor fit her better than any of the leather pants and cotton shirts she had been wearing. Almost like it had been made for her. And it had been. . . just like his was. Terran shifted the pair of thin, slightly curved swords that lay on his back as he uncomfortably thought about what had happened three days ago in Lohan.

The store's bell rang as Meirra opened the door and she and Terran stepped through. The shopkeeper looked up from what looked to be paperwork and smiled slightly. "May I help you with something?"

Meirra wasted no time. She stalked up to the desk he sat at and rested her hands alongside his, staring slightly down into his eyes. "I've come to claim the Black Burst Armor. Where is it?"

The shopkeeper was a large and powerful looking man, his hands callused and stained slightly black, quite likely he was the blacksmith of the numerous weapons that hung upon the store's walls. He had the look of a man that had never backed away from anything or had been confronted with anything he could not handle. Even now. His voice was undeniably calm. "Black Burst Armor? I don't know what you're talking about. Perhaps you are thinking of someplace else?"

She didn't budge, "By Soa's will, I do believe it is here."

The shopkeeper looked up and met Meirra's gaze straight on as if she had said something important. And she obviously had, Terran mused. The shopkeeper stood up and walked towards a large picture of a woman that hung on the wall behind his desk. "Well, if you're going to be that way about it."

It was with wonder that Terran watched the shopkeeper place his hand on the picture and mutter unheard words. The picture shimmered and evaporated, leaving a hole in the wall where a shelf was located. Terran whistled to himself in amazement. The shopkeeper pulled out several items from within. He lay several pieces of armor and cloth on his desk. On top of the pile was a silver chain with a purple-black jewel hanging from it. Meirra placed it around her neck immediately. Then came a sword sheathed in a black and silver scabbard. The shopkeeper nodded to himself as Meirra picked it up. "That there is Dark Wraith. Made just as requested."

With intense concentration she drew the sword from the scabbard. Dark Wraith's silver blade flickered in the light, it changed from shining white to the deepest black. Straight and true, it's long blade ran to the hilt, which was wrapped in black leather for a good grip. Terran studied the beautiful weapon with an expert eye. From his uncle he had learned that appearance was not to be taking seriously. However appraising the sword for several moments he came to the conclusion that the sword had to be one of the finest weapon he had ever seen. And he had seen quite a few since his uncle was one of Endiness' greatest Weapon Masters. A fact that his uncle liked to keep under wraps.

Meirra must have liked what she saw as well, because she slipped Dark Wraith back into its scabbard with a slight smile. The shopkeeper ran his hand through his hair expectantly. "Does it meet your satisfaction?"

The black haired woman cocked her head to the side. Thinking for the moment. "The color and design of the armor was not what I was expecting." She ran her hand across the black and silver armor, "But it is satisfactory." She raised her head and looked straight into the shopkeeper's eyes. "More than satisfactory in fact. The armor and sword are great pieces of work. The best I have seen in a long time. You are truly a great blacksmith."

The shopkeeper remained silent and waiting. Meirra turned her face away from his and gave the armor all of her attention. "It there someplace I can change around here?"

The shopkeeper pointed towards a door. "In there." As Meirra gathered up her armor and sword, the shopkeeper turned back towards the shelf. And to Terran's surprise, he did not close it like Terran expected him too, but instead returned with another set of armor and what looked to be two sheathed swords. The shopkeeper looked towards him. "These are yours young man. Made as requested as well."

Terran found himself backing up several paces in surprise. "What? How can those be mine? I never- I mean I didn't ask you to make those for me. I've never even met you before. So they can't be for me."

Meirra halfway across the room carrying her equipment, turned around in time for the shopkeeper's reply. "You are traveling with the young lady, are you not?" He gestured towards the now suspicious Meirra.

"Yes. . ?" Terran suddenly wasn't so sure of himself. Not that he had been in the beginning.

The shopkeeper put the armor and swords in front of Terran. "Then these are yours. The woman paid me to make these for the young man who accompanied the lady who was to wear the Black Burst Armor."

"What woman?" Meirra had not moved an inch, wariness etched on her face.

"The same woman that ordered your own armor made three months ago. Pretty red-headed girl who seems older than she looks. Never really interacted with anybody either. Just lays a letter on the table with what she wants and the money inside to make it. About a month ago she came back with another request. That request was to make this young man's armor and weapons." Terran was bewildered. How could have someone known that he would be traveling with Meirra. Especially since neither he nor Meirra had known they would be together until a couple of days ago. The thought gave him chills. "She told me that he would be accompanying you, Miss." He paused and looked down at his hands. "I wasn't going to do it but she had such a presence around her that I found I couldn't refuse."

Terran was studying the armor and swords while listening to the conversation. The armor was a murky looking brown color with more than a hint of red in it, a dinky colored gold decorating it's surface with swirls and designs. Altogether it didn't look like much, but Terran knew better. It was just as well designed and strong as Meirra's armor and from the look he had gotten of the Black Burst Armor, they were in a rare league of well-made, nearly indestructible armor. Before he had a chance to study the swords his attention was drawn back to the conversation.

"And you are going to take it!" The shopkeeper had pointed a finger at Terran and now all his attention was directed him.. "What I have made for the young lady and yourself is the best work that has ever come out of my shop. I worked on it as if possessed, so I don't want you refusing it just because your lady-friend says so." He directed a glare in Meirra's direction. "I don't want to see my work go to waste."

Meirra gnawed on the bottom of her lip and muttered something under her breath. Terran thought he caught the name 'Shirley' in her words, but he couldn't be sure. She abruptly shook her head, "Fine. If it's meant to be his then let him take it." With that said she turned on her heel and stalked into the dressing room.

Silence invaded the room as the shopkeeper stared at the dressing room's door and Terran returned to his inspection of the swords. They were thin blades, curving just slightly and were more slender than Meirra's Dark Wraith. But there was only one way to find out. He drew on of the swords out with trepidation and then almost dropped it in shock. As he stared at the silver blade, shimmering golden red in some places, Terran felt an odd sort of recognition. /These are mine. These swords are mine, no one else's./

Unable to control himself, he pulled out the other sword as well. He tried out several moves while being careful not to destroy anything. The shopkeeper looked away from the door and smiled in approval. "You know how to use them."

"Yes." Terran stopped his exercises and put the swords back in their scabbards. "They are similar to my weapon of choice. The saber, but not quite."

The shopkeeper placed a hand on the scabbards and gave them a fond look, one that a parent would give a child. "That is good." He took his hand away from them. "They are called Ember Souls." The shopkeeper gestured towards the armor on the desk. "And that is called the Red Flare Armor.

"It's not red."

"It's not supposed to be." Terran unexpectedly found the shopkeeper's hand on his chin, forcing him into look into his eyes. "The armor and the blades are not the only things I am to give to you."

The shopkeeper moved away and from a pocket within his shirt removed a crystal disk hanging from a golden chain. "The woman gave this to me to give to you. She said you were to keep it until your lady friend needed it." The shopkeeper placed the crystal disk into Terran's hands. "You are not to tell your friend that you have it. That is very important. You are only to give it to her when times are dire and you feel it is right. No one is too know you have it." The man withdrew his hands. "She told me that the fate of Endiness depends on you to keep it unknown to others."

Terran considered the other man's face trying to gather some secret from him. /Why is this crystal so important? Why can't I tell anyone about it? How did this woman know that I would be traveling with Meirra? And above all who is the DAMN red-headed woman the shopkeeper was talking about?/ He didn't find anything to help him from the shopkeeper's face.

Terran rubbed a spot under his armor where the crystal disk hung. Even against his warm skin it remained cool. He was uncomfortable carrying it but keeping the shopkeeper's words in mind he always kept it near him. However the crystal disk possessed a strange energy that always left him aware of its presence. And ever since he had acquired it he had strange dreams at night. Dreams filled with huge beasts flying in the skies and the scent of blood and the sound of magic being used.

A muck covered branch slapped his face and left his head covered in swamp mud and various other disgusting substances. That was it. He didn't care that Meirra held his life in his hands. For the past five days he had gained questions but he hadn't gotten any answers in return. Usually patient to a fault, Terran found himself about to snap. Every person had their limits and he had just reached his. Stopping in his tracks before he could be assaulted with another branch, he glared at the figure in front of him. He wanted some answers and he wasn't going to move until he got at least one. "Where the HELL are we going?!!"

His shouted words brought Meirra to a halt and she looked back with something akin to shock.

*****

Two beings sat high above Endiness in Purgatory. One had once been a mortal and the other was anything but mortal. One was a human and the other a Goddess. One had a shape and form and the other was just pure, shining light.

"Soa? I have a question."

*What is it child?*

"Why did you have me have that blacksmith make armor for the boy as well? And what is the crystal disk for? You didn't tell me." Shirley turned her head towards the bright light that was by her side. The Goddess had been accompanying her for the last several days in that form.

*Perli, the Tiberoan Goddess suggested that I have some armor made for the boy. She told me it would be needed and I trust her. She also suggested that I give the boy the crystal disk, the Eternity Key.*

The red-headed ex-dragoon crinkled her brow in puzzlement. "The Eternity Key?"

*It is. . . a map to a very dangerous weapon. A weapon that will only be used in the direst of situations. Hopefully such a situation won't come up.*

"It though. That's why you gave it to the boy isn't it." Shirley looked at her hands, immersed in thought. "How did Perli know that Rose would not kill him? How did She know that he would need armor and weapons two months before anything happened?"

Soa's light faded for a second in contemplation, *I have told you before Shirley, that Gods and Goddess' are not perfect. We like to think that We are, but We aren't. We all make mistakes. We do not truly know what is going to happen. Fate is a tangled web as some say. Still the Tiberoan God and Goddess have some talent that allows them to see what /might/ happen. And this situation was one of the more likely possibilities.*

"Why give the boy the Eternity Key if it leads to a weapon so dangerous? Why not give it to Rose immediately?" These were some things the Shirley had been wanting to know the explanations on for a while.

Soa's light flickered in laughter. *You are curious child. Not that I blame you. If we gave the Eternity Key to Rose she would go find the weapon and use it, just because it would be sure to get the job finished. I have told her what it leads too and she knows what would happen if she used it. I will not let it happen unless neccessary.* The Goddess had long since stopped laughing and now Her voice was calm and cool. *Terran will be able to protect the Eternity Key. There is something special about that boy. I would say that he is a Dragoon if I didn't know that all the Dragoon Spirits already have carriers.*

Shirley's green eyes widened in surprise, "You mean that the Red-Eyed Dragoon Spirit has found someone?"

*Yes. He is on his way to meet the other Dragoons, just as Rose and Terran are.*

Shirley drummed her fingers along her legs as she considered certain aspects of what she had done. "I don't see why we had to send Rose back down to be reborn. You have allowed me to obtain a physical form so that I could order those things for the boy and Rose. I could have easily told Dart and his friends that there is danger once more. I could've given them the Eternity Key as well."

*They could not have used the Eternity Key however. Rose is the only one that could use it and the weapon that it leads too. She is one of the original Dragoons.*

Shirley kept her mouth shut, something in the Goddess' voice told her not to push the Her anymore. So she changed to another subject that had been bothering her. "Rose will die again if she uses this weapon you've mentioned, won't she? That's why you would rather not have her use it."

*You are very observant. No matter what it seems I do not want her to die. She deserves what she wants, at least for a little bit.*

"She has been through so much." Shirley drew her knees up to her chest and cradled her head on them. "She was my best friend in the Dragon Campaign. I miss her and what she once was." Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered what had happened so long ago. She raised her head and looked at the Goddess' light. "I don't want her to die either."

*I know child. I know.*

*****

"WOW!! What is that?" Miranda looked at what Meru had pointed out and then quickly averted her eyes away from it.

"You know what Meru? I really don't want to know."

"Humph! Fine be that way." The Wingly hovered above the ground using her translucent wings. She wasn't about to walk in the squishy ground in her sandals! She knew better. It was too bad the others couldn't fly, they were already looking more disheveled by the minute. All were covered in mud to some extent. Meru preened herself on being the only clean one in the group.

Kongol and Haschel walked a little ways behind Meru and Miranda. In all, the Giganto was having the worst time in the swamp. He was too big to avoid muck covered branches and his weight sunk him deeper into the ground than anyone else. Kongol was not very happy about this fact. Haschel couldn't get him out of the bad mood the usual amiable Giganto had fallen into. Still he hung near him to make sure he was doing all right.

The Rouge Master eyed a stretch of ground that seemed to be a bit murkier than other places they had crossed. He looked back at Kongol. "Do you think you can make it across?"

Kongol lumbered past Haschel, ignoring him, and stepped right ahead. As he walked across the mud greedily sucked his feet into its depths. Kongol plowed through seemingly without a care, but Miranda could hear him muttering, "Kongol hate this place. Kongol hate this place very much."

Miranda agreed with the Giganto. What in the world had possessed Albert to wander off the trail? She was going to have a very long talk with him after they got out of the Marshland about that. If they got out of the Marshland that was. She was pretty sure they were lost at this point.

"Hmm. That looks interesting. I wonder what it was?" Miranda could hear Haschel wondering off to the side in the direction of the thing Meru had pointed out earlier.

Meru fell back from Miranda's side most likely to help Haschel investigate what lay nearby. Sure enough Miranda was right.

"That's what I was wondering just a minute ago!! I asked Miranda but she didn't seem to care."

"That looks like part of a hoof. Think it could be a deer?"

"Maybe on overgrown deer. It's HUGE!"

"You're right. It's a bit larger than it would be for a deer. . . Hey, look at that! I think it's the head."

"Yuck! Half of it's skull is missing. You can see it's brain!"

Miranda gritted her teeth and stalked up ahead. Forget about talking with Albert later, she was going to talk with him now! What could he have been thinking? Wandering off the trail where the ground tried to suck you down into it and where dead animals lay everywhere, all in different states of decomposition.

It was a matter of seconds until she was even with Albert, Dart, and Shana. All of them seemed to be in a deep conversation that Miranda did not hesitate to disrupt.

"Albert?"

"Yes, Miranda?" Albert moved his head towards her so he could get a better look at the Sacred Sister's face. He winced at what he saw. While his own chestnut hair was a mess and his face was dabbed with mud it couldn't even compare to Miranda's state. Her free floating dark blonde hair was so matted and muck filled that its color could not be determined and her face was nearly completely covered in mud and scratches. She did not look like she was enjoying the trip.

"Might I ask why we got off the trail. And I want a real explanation. Not the 'because it's the right way' one that you gave earlier. How do you know this is the right way?"

Albert swallowed nervously, "Because it /felt/ like the right way?"

Silence filled the air and behind them they could hear Meru, Haschel, and Kongol catching up. Miranda spoke in a dangerously calm voice. "Because it felt like the right way, you say."

Dart shook his head in disbelief. "Albert do you even know where we are? Have you gotten us lost?"

"No, I don't where we are, but," the King raised his hand before anyone could speak, "I do know that we are not lost."

Shana blinked, "Isn't that a bit of a contradiction?"

"That might be but what I said is true." Albert shrugged uncomfortably. "Our destination isn't that far away. In fact it should be nearly in front of us." He pointed in front of him and paused when he realized that he was pointing at vines so thick that they could have been a wall.

"How do you know where we're going? Wait a minute, you just felt like it was the /right/ way again?" Miranda's sarcasm was not lost on Albert.

"The Dragoon Spirit has been guiding me." He self-consciously rubbed at the jade-green stone hanging at his neck.

Haschel frowned, processing the information. He had only heard half of the conversation, but it was evident to him what they were talking about. "You mean like the voices that told us to come Serdio? You're talking to your voice again?"

"No. It's not like the voice. . . yet it does seem to have the same presence about it." The King thought too himself for a moment. "It is as if the voice can't quite reach me to give me directions, so it's giving something that could be considered gut instincts to go on."

"And let me guess. Your gut instincts say that we have to go through that." Dart gestured towards the vines.

"Yes?"

"Fine then. Let's get this done with." As he said that, Dart drew his sword and approached the obstacle.

Shana reached a questioning hand out to him. "What are you doing?"

Her fiancee drew back his sword and began to hack at the vines with it. "Getting rid of," THWACK! "the vines," THUMP! "so we can," THWACK! "continue!"

Meru flew up slightly. "I think I can fly up over it."

Miranda snorted, "And how do you propose that we get on the other side?"

"I could fly you guys over one at a time." Meru was buoyed by her confidence.

"What about Kongol? I don't are if you can lift the monstrous hammer of yours. Can you lift him?"

". . ."

"I thought as much."

After about a minute of watching Dart's vain attempts to cut through the vines, Kongol decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. "Dart move. Kongol take care of problem."

Dart was a little too involved in his work for his mind to register the Giganto's words. Sighing, Kongol grabbed Dart's shoulder and pulled him back so the Giganto could take his place. Kongol hefted Indora's Ax above his head, his tired and sore muscles protesting the action, and brought it down. Six swings was all it took. RRIIIPPPP! Part of the wall of vines was vanquished and the other side could be seen.

"Kongol make path. Now we can move on." The Giganto stepped aside and let the others pass.

As Meru went by, she gave him an impish smile. "Good job, big guy. You saved the day."

Everyone had stopped as soon as they all managed to walk through the hole Kongol had made. In front of them was a enormous pit filled entirely with mire and it stood right in their way of travel. Rocks dotted across it making it passable but that was not the real problem. The real problem lay in that across the quicksand pit was a huge cliff. The cliff looked near impossible to climb.

"Well, I guess we could transform to Dragoons. We all have enough power built up for at least one transformation." Dart looked over the surrounding area. The curtain of vines started at a spot near the cliff and wound around in a half-circle to end near the cliff again.

Albert stepped forward. "No. We stay here."

"What?" Meru looked at him like he had lost his mind.

"We have to stay here. We're supposed to meet someone here, I think. Or something."

"Great!" Miranda walked a couple of steps away from the others to sulk.

"Are you certain about this, Albert?"

"Quite certain, Dart."

Kongol sat down on the spongy ground eager to rest his overworked body. Haschel sat next to him, deciding that he needed a break as well. Albert and Dart were starting have a conversation. Miranda stood by herself, privately wondering how long they were going to wait. And Shana had edged near the pool of quicksand with Meru floating slightly above her.

"Poor Kongol." Shana murmured to herself as she watched the Giganto wearily lower his head to his knees.

Meru was thinking of other things then the state of her friends. She tilted her head slightly to the side, trying to ignore the voices of her companions. She could have sworn she had heard voices. Human voices at that. "Shana, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Shana looked up from where she had been studying the tiny air bubbles that popped up from the quicksand.

"I thought I. . . What are you looking at anyways?" Meru asked of Shana, who's attention had once more drifted to the quicksand.

"The air bubbles look like they're getting bigger."

Meru peered over Shana's shoulder and frowned. "There shouldn't be any air bubbles in a quagmire. Not like this at least. They shouldn't be getting bigger. They don't do that." The Wingly was now muttering to herself," I know. I've been thrown out into enough of them when people didn't like my dancing. Those people wouldn't have known art if it had bit them in the butt."

Meru did not notice Shana's interested gaze directed her way. Something was wrong. Her crimson eyes widened in shock as she caught a glimpse something stirring underneath the quicksand. "Shana get bac-"

The little Wingly had noticed too late. A gigantic monster burst through the surface of the quagmire. A sickly gray color, it had too many tentacles to count covering it's body. Meru was already in the process in shoving Shana back, but one of the tentacles swung her way before she could even note it's presence. The tentacle hit her full on the chest and sent the still flying Wingly backwards with an unbelievable force.

Meru tried to stop her course in the air, but she couldn't. She was thrown back through more than a few branches. They tore at her skin, ripping it to shreds. One branch caught at her arm and she heard a cracking sound. Another branch hit her on the back of her head and she felt her vision start to dim. Then she ran into something warm, soft, and solid. Someone had caught her!

Whoever had caught her was gently lowering her to the ground. Meru fought her fading eyesight as she tried to catch sight of Shana. She tried to sit up when she did spot her, despite the pain. One of the monster's tentacles had wrapped around the ex-Moon Child, pinning her arms to her sides so she couldn't use her bow and arrows. Meru struggled against the hand that pushed her to the ground again.

/I've got to help her! I can't just. . . lay. . . here./ Darkness crept in at the edges of her sight and Meru found she didn't have the strength to fight against it. Her body was wracked with pain. She slipped into the blackness of unconsciousness unaware of what was going on and what was about to happen.

*****


	4. Part Three: Three Strands for a Braid

Badabing-badaboom! Just changed the usual, except for one or two lines of conversation between mystery person and crackling voice.

Let's see. . . oh yes, if someone in the story knows Meirra's real identity then when the fic is centered around them, she will be referred to as her true name, even if they don't use it when they speak. Does that make any sense? Hope so.

Here are some things you might want to know.

/. . . denotes thoughts or that a certain word is emphasized. . . /

*. . . denotes mindspeech. . . *

. . . denotes flashback or vision. . . 

The Fate of Destiny

Part Three:

Three Strands for a Braid

"You want to know where we're going?" Meirra raised an eyebrow at him and Terran shuddered under her cynical gaze. "Or do you want to know what we are going to do?"

Terran vaguely wondered at what type of being had replaced Meirra's soul as he answered her. It was a question that had been bothering him for a while. "I asked the first question, but an answer to both would be nice." Could it be a demon or some kind of faery? A banshee maybe, one of the ghosts that was rumored to haunt the area around his home town? Whatever she was, she confused and utterly bewildered him. And fascinated him.

"Good." Her voice startled him out of his reverie. "I was going to answer both, along with other things." Meirra sat down on a log that seemed to be less slime covered than the rest of the surrounding area. She gestured for him to sit beside her. She gazed out into the marsh while he settled beside her.

"What other things?" Terran's curiosity got the better of him.

"Like what -- who -- I am. What I was doing before I came here." She gave a wicked smile, but Terran thought it was more directed at herself than him. "You need to know these things before we go on, or else you could do something we would both regret."

"Regret?" Terran ran his eyes over Meirra. His earlier assumption that she was unaffected by the Marshland was wrong. Her long black hair had numerous bits of moss and twigs on it, and a scratch ran down her left cheek. Even though it had stopped bleeding long ago Terran had to stop himself from inspecting it. His mother had trained him a little too well in medicine. Every time he saw an injury, no matter how small he wanted to fix it. "Why don't you just kill me then?" Like she had been threatening him since they had begun the trip. Except he realized, that she had stopped ever since they had left Lohan.

"Because now I can't."

"You can't? Why not?" Inwardly Terran winced. He seemed to be asking a lot of questions. Then again, he had a lot he could question on.

"Because now you have been woven into the tapestry of fate and it seems your thread is a key part in the pattern." Meirra ran her fingers through her hair, not really concentrating on it, just using it as if using it to distract herself from an unnerving subject. What was she talking about? "It became obvious when that shopkeeper had your armor and weapon there. Shirley had him make it and she would only do that if it was Soa's will."

Terran unerringly latched onto the last two words. They were familiar. Where had he heard them before? In the shop when Meirra had insisted that the shopkeeper had her armor. She had said something about Soa's will. It had to have been a password, a security measure so that no one else could claim her armor without it. But who was this Shirley -- Meirra had mentioned her before at the shop -- and how could she possibly be doing something under the Goddess' will? Was that even possible. He took a deep breath, it was time to ask more questions. "Shirley?"

The black haired woman pursed her lips together and gazed at Terran. He unconsciously shifted his eyes away from her intense gaze. "I'll answer that in time, but first I must start at the beginning." Another wry smile graced her pale face. "Or what the beginning was for me."

Her hands stopped playing with her hair and Terran felt that hand grasp his chin, lifting his head so that his green eyes once more met hers. "This is the beginning. I was born eleven thousand years ago, when Winglies ruled the world and humans were their slaves. I was born a human, but I was lucky. The place I was born in was one of the Wingly cities ruled by Charles Frahma, the Wingly ruler who believed that humans were equal, and that was the way she treated them. My mother named me Rose and for eighteen years I was innocent and naive to the goings of the outside world. . . Then I met Zieg and my life was changed forever."

Biting his lips Terran tried to take in the new information. Meirra -- no, Rose -- was human, that he could handle, but the fact that she was born so long ago kept him still. Why was she still here? A mission of some kind no doubt, but what kind of mission? And why was Rose's soul in Meirra's body? So many questions and all he could do was wait for her to tell him the answers.

*****

The man leaned back against the tree, wearily stripping his armor off. He had fought his way through the muck and mire of the Marshland and he desperately needed a break. And also an opportunity to speak to the voice that had been harassing him ever since he had bought the red stone he wore around his neck at a merchant's shop. "Are you sure this is the right way?"

A dry chuckle answered him in his mind. *Of course, child. Go where I tell you and do what I tell you to do and everything will be fine.*

"Really? That's good news to hear." The man's voice was seeped in sarcasm. "So Great and Mighty One, what do I do next?"

*You start walking on that path in front of you.* The voice told him, its dead and crackling sound making the man wince.

"Now?"

*Yes, now. Put your armor back on. You're going to be walking right into a fight.*

"A fight!" The man angrily put his armor back on. "I suppose the people I'm going to join up with are the ones who are fighting?"

*You are correct. Hurry, you've got to help them. It would be best if you transformed.*

The man stopped the process of replacing one of his shoulder pieces. His face twisted in something close to fury. "Fine, push me all you want, but let it be known that I had better get what I want when this is all finished. I had better . . ."

The voice's crackling laughter sent shivers up the man's spine. *I can assure you, oh desperate one, that you will get what you ask for. That I can promise you.*

*****

Terran was sitting back in shock, observing the seemingly young woman in front of him. Nothing had changed about her appearance, but his perception had completely changed his view of her. Struggling almost in vain, he tried to organize what he had just heard into some semblance of order. "You were a Dragoon." It wasn't a question, more of a way to confirm what he had heard and engrave it in his mind. His gaze rested on Rose's chest, his eyes having been drawn there by the sparkling dark violet jewel she wore there. "And that's your Dragoon Spirit."

"Yes." Short and clipped, her tone of voice hadn't changed from when she had begun her story. "Is there anything else you need to know before we go on?"

He was still confused, there was no denying that, but he knew that he held all the answers. He just had to look for them. At least the ones he could get from her. There was still the mystery of the crystal disk that hung at his neck. "Yeah." He stood up and stretched, wrinkling his noise in disgust as the stench of the Marshland became stronger. "We are going to move on now, aren't we?"

"No." A pale hand reached up and grabbed his arm, pulling him back down to sit on the mossy log. "We still need to discuss some things."

He could feel his face turning white at those cold words. Whatever she was going to say, she was deadly serious about it. Terran tried to act like her words didn't affect him. "Sure. If that's what you want."

"Good. Let it be known that if you ever mention my real name to the group of people we are about to meet, I will kill you." He was not going to smile, despite the laughter he felt bubbling up from his chest. It seemed she always reverted back to that threat -- not that he doubted she wouldn't fulfill it. "I don't care if you're an important key to what is going to happen. I can only be Meirra to them." He opened his mouth to speak, but she shoot him a glare that made him immediately shut up. "Even if they say my name when they see me, you must help me convince them that I am not who I truly am."

For a moment Terran's thoughts were in a whirlwind, unfortunately it wasn't the only time that it had happened it the last day. /What is she talking about? How can her old friends recognize her if they believe she's dead. They shouldn't know who she is. . . unless. . ./ "You mean they'll be able to identify you?" His eyes widened as the full implications hit him. "That means when you were alive, you looked like Meirra, doesn't it?"

She gave a quick affirmative nod, "This body looks exactly like mine did, except it's younger than mine was before I was put under the spell of immortality." She bent her head down to look at the ground, except she stopped and winced when her long black hair caught on the log. "And my hair wasn't quite this long." She gently freed her hair from the wood's gripe and chewed on her lip for a second. She looked more human in that moment than Terran had ever seen her before. "It keeps getting in my way."

"Here." He was hesitant at first, not willing to ruin what he saw. "I can help you with your hair." Her violet eyes narrowed, but she slowly nodded her assent, suspicion written across her face. He took her tangled black hair in his hands, marveling on how soft and silky if felt in his callused hands, while trying not to reveal that it fascinated him. To cover for himself, he continued their conversation. "Why can't they know who you are?"

"I've told you before." Scorn colored her voice, "The enemy we are going to go up against is powerful. More powerful than Melbu Frahma ever was." His hands moved up and down, switching strands of black hair, twisting them into a design as she stared ahead, unseeing. "If it finds out who I truly am, then one of our advantages against it is lost and that could mean the end of the world."

He paused in the braiding of her hair as the immensity of the situation hit him. She had explained to him what the danger they were going up against was to the best of her ability and now he knew exactly how dangerous, suicidal, and insane their quest was. "So why did you tell me everything?"

He resumed his work on her hair, occasionally stopping to pull out a tangle or stick that had gotten stuck in it, while he waited for her answer. "Because you're going to be my cover if they don't believe that I'm Meirra."

Terran tried his best to hide his smile, but he couldn't help saying, "You aren't Meirra."

"Obviously. But you're going to help convince them that I am." He raised his eyebrows in surprise. Was that amusement in her voice? Yes, it was, he decided. It was surprising that in the last ten minutes he had seen Rose act more like a normal person than in the she had in the months before this moment.

He finished the braid and looked for something to tie it up with. He frowned for a second before carefully tearing away a strip of his sleeve that peeped out from beneath his armor. It had been getting in his way anyways. A quick movement of his hands and Rose's hair was secure in its braid. "There, it's not exactly the neatest it could be, but it'll do for now."

She shook her head experimentally and Terran ducked as the thick black braid nearly clipped him on the side of the head. "Watch it!"

"Hm. It's going to change my balance when I fight, but it won't get in my way." She stood up, shifting Dark Wraith into position on her back. "You did a good job."

He tried not to chuckle, standing up and following behind her as she walked further into the Marshland. "If you're going to fool your friends, you can't act like you usually did around them."

An amused gaze was directed his way, "I'll do the best I can." Terran chuckled knowing she was playing along, relieved that she did have a sense of humor.

"Re-" His words were cut off by a shrill scream that didn't sound like it was close by, but it wasn't too far away.

Rose took off in a flash in the direction of the sound, swift feet dodging obstacles in her way. "It's starting."

"What is?" Terran jumped a stump that appeared in his way, landing with a big splash in the muddy sludge behind it. Mud splattered over his clothes and face, but it didn't matter. Someone was in trouble and if Rose's tale had anything to do with it, that person was important to what was going to happen.

"The fight." Several minutes of running at top speed took them to the edge of a cliff. He stopped with her by his side and gazed down and what he saw made his breath catch in his throat. Below them a gigantic monster lay in a muck filled hole. Long slimy gray tentacles flailed around, aiming for its targets. Human targets flying up in the air on faery wings. Dragoons. Terran spotted three, all different colors. A dark silver gray, jade green, and a silvery white. They dodged out of the monster's grasp, twirling around and aiming for what it held in one of its tentacles.

He squinted his eyes and then widened them. It was holding a young woman dressed in white, holding her close to its body. She didn't seem to be injured. He caught sight of movement on the ground and cursed under his breath. The woman might not be injured, but one of the people on the ground seemed to be. A small white figure, cradled in the arms of a giant, while another purple figure was frantically pouring what seemed to be Healing Potions on the white one. Whoever they were, they were in trouble. They needed help and Terran would have willingly given it to them if it hadn't been the fact that he was nearly two hundred feet above them. It was a good thing he wasn't afraid of heights.

A shimmering violet light by his side caught his attention and what he saw held it. The stone at Rose's neck glowed, dancing rays lighting the area around her. The light darkened till it was nearly black, enveloping around her in a sphere, obscuring her from sight. Then there was a burst of bright white light, silhouetting her shape and a roaring sound. He closed his eyes to shield them from the radiance that came off of her.

When the light died and he opened his eyes and before him stood a mystical winged being that he had only heard about in legends and recently from the mouth of a woman who had lived those legends. The woman now standing -- floating -- before him. Black boots covered both of her legs, nearly all the way up to the top of her calves, silver swirls decorating the edges of them. Armor adorned her midsection and chest, going down until it reduced into leather pants that tucked into her boots. All of it was black, silver designs dancing across her armor and shoulder guards. There was a band of armor around her forehead, nearly blending in with the black of her hair, dotted with seven silver stones. Rose was deadly, mystical, and impressive looking, but the thing that made Terran gasp was her wings.

He had seen the wings of the Dragoons flying below him, however they were not close enough so he could get a good look at them. Rose's wings were fluttering slightly, shimmering silver veined with red, and all of it edged in black. She was glorious floating above the ground like an avenging angel. He shook his head, he couldn't have these fantasies about her, especially at a time like this. "That's your Dragoon form I take it?"

"Yes. The Darkness Dragoon." She twisted her head around to look at herself, "Except the uniform's changed. . . Strange." He watched her muse for a moment longer before looking down onto the battle. "It's also the way we're going to get down there. So grab on to me. I'm going to drop you off on one of those large tentacles to save the girl."

Terran approached, not quite believing that she would be able to carry him down there before her words registered. "Drop me off where?"

"On one of the tentacles." She gave him a look that told him she was getting impatient. "Now come over here and hold on to me. I'm not going to drop you."

He slowly unsheathed one of his swords, realizing that he might not have time to later on, and wrapped his free arm around her waist while placing the one that held his sword over her shoulder and neck. He felt her arms wrap around his waist and then he was lifted up. His feet no longer touched the ground and his only security was the woman who held him; she who had threatened him numerous times. Air started to move past them as she flew up into the air and in a moment of fear, Terran buried his head in the juncture between her shoulder and neck.

He took deep breaths in an attempt to steady himself. /I've never been afraid of heights before, why now?/ He breathed in the scent of her hair, still trying to calm down. /Is it because I'm relaying on someone else? Someone else. . . who smells like that meadow near home when the sun is setting. She smells so. . . What the hell am I doing? She's prepared to kill me and we're going right into a battle. Dear Soa, I must be insane!/

"Remember, I'll kill you if you so as much mention my name." He lifted his head from her shoulder to gaze up at her face, the air flowing between them as she went down through the air. "Now get ready, I'm dropping you. . . NOW!"

/Oh dear Soa, I know I'm insane now!/

He let go of her, holding his sword to the side so it wouldn't cut her as he fell away from her. The air rushed up around him, making his eyes blur and as he saw something gray flash in front of him, he instinctively reached out and grabbed onto it. It was one of the monster's tentacles, slimy, cold, and amazingly not moving as much as the ones that surrounded it, and as his bleary eyes cleared up he saw why. Rose had dropped him right on the tentacle that held the girl in white and the monster was keeping that limb amazingly still, too distracted to do anything about the girl in its grasp nor notice the new ornament that dangled form it.

Terran hung on with both arms, one hand still grasping his sword, and he winked at the seemingly uninjured girl staring at him with wide brown eyes. He swung his way to her, knowing that he had to hurry. Glancing down, he prayed thankfully to whatever gods had placed large rocks that he could use as a landing place, instead of the deadly quicksand. "Nice to see you. Um. . . I'm going to cut this thing to get you out of here, so it might be a good idea to grab on to me."

The girl, who could only be a year or two older than him, nodded, one hand tentatively creeping forward to clamp down on his shoulder. "If it gets me out of this, I'll do whatever you say."

"Good. Hang on, this might hurt a little." He heaved himself on top of the monster's appendage, straddling it to the best of his ability, facing the girl in white, allowing her get a better grasp on him. Terran swung his sword up, and then back down, striking the blade on the tentacle between himself and the girl. The sword slid through the thick tentacle like it was a piece of paper, splattering his face with dark green blood. Terran, expecting it to take more than one swing was caught off guard and was not ready when he started falling. The girl wasn't either, so he in the split second when he realized they were falling, he managed to manipulate himself so when they landed he would take most of the impact. He gave a desperate prayer that the rock wasn't rocky or jagged where they were going to land.

The monster's angry roar as they fell gave Terran the idea that it might be good to run as soon as they hit ground. He landed on the rock -- grimacing as vibrant streaks of pain ran up through them -- holding the girl off the ground with her still partially caught in the now cut off tentacle. He set her down on the ground and shoved her forward, "Run! Hurry get as far away from this thing as possible."

He drew the other Ember Soul and started to back up before he stumbled and cried out when his left ankle gave out. Underneath his breath he cursed up a storm. His ankle was badly sprained, perhaps broken, and it would take a miracle if he was going to walk anywhere on it, much less dodge flailing limbs, and there was no way that he would have time to grab a Healing Potion and use it on himself. So he did the only thing he could. Kneeling on his injured leg, he brought up his swords to defend against the monster's limbs. He knew that it would do no good, but he had to try.

He sliced, dashed, and cut through any tentacles that came his way for what seemed like an eternity when in reality it was only a few seconds. He felt hands grasp him shoulders from behind and he slowed his desperate fight to look back. The girl he had rescued stood behind him, tugging on him gently to make him move. "Come on, get up. I'm not going to leave you behind."

"But-"

"No buts, you saved my life and now I'm going to save yours." She forcibly swung one of his arms across her shoulders and dragged him away, dodging the creature's limbs. "The Dragoons are distracting it, now is a good time to sneak away."

He turned his head in the direction of the monster to see if her word's were true. She was correct, the dark silver Dragoon wasn't too far away, making cuts with his sword, glancing for reassurance that the girl who was helping him was all right. The white Dragoon and green Dragoon fought side by side, the green one diving in to fight within the tentacles and the white one firing arrows, trying to get them through those waving limbs in an attempt to hit its body. Then there was Rose, flying high above everyone else, a dark violet glow surrounding her as she dove forward.

"ASTRAL DRAIN!!"

Ducking an errant tentacle with the girl in white, he watched as Rose impaled her blade through a tentacle that was as thick as a good sized tree trunk. She pulled back and flew once more up into the sky, the glow becoming more pronounced as she did so, then a white light came streaming down towards Terran and the girl.

"Wha?" The girl had stopped and her mouth was hanging open. The light flashed over them and Terran felt his injured ankle heal, not all of the way, but enough so that he could hobble without the girl's help.

"Come on! Move!" The girl shook her head and pointed up into the sky. Terran followed the line her finger pointed out and he too, stared in amazement. Instead of just four Dragoons in the air, there was five. Of course the girl was pointing at both Rose and the other new Dragoon. A Dragoon in bright red armor had appeared by the other red Dragoon, nonchalantly hovering in the air before a fiery red aura surrounded him and he shouted out the words, "FINAL BURST!"

*****

Dart stared in shock at the new Dragoons in the air around him. It seemed help had come when he had least expected it to. Or maybe not, considering the fact that Albert had told him they were waiting for someone or something to come to them. What he didn't expect were two Dragoons whose Spirits had supposedly been destroyed.

The fight had seemed hopeless with Meru out of the picture and Haschel and Kongol on the ground, pulling out Healing Potions to heal her wounds. He, Albert and Miranda had transformed, flying up into the sky to see if they could free Shana from the monster's grasp. They had discovered that it was near impossible to do so with all of the waving tentacles and the fact that none of them could use their sure kills without injuring his fiancee. The only thing that was going their way was the fact that the creature hadn't injured her yet.

Help came in the form of three people. One was a young man who had appeared out of nowhere, swinging on the tentacle that held his love prisoner. He had cut that thick limb and dropped down with Shana, allowing Dart to breathe a sigh of relief. The next person caught his attention by her cry. She was shouting out words that he thought he would never hear again and the way she said them brought back memories as well. All he got was a glimpse of her, before the last helper appeared by his side, flying on wings and wearing the armor that Dart had once worn.

This third newcomer with red hair and golden-brown eyes flashed Dart a cocky grin. He threw out his arms and called out an attack that Dart remembered all too well. The Dragoon's spell hit the monster head on, causing it to roar out in pain. Then the new Fire Dragoon turned towards Dart with a raised eyebrow. "Do you want to do the honors, or shall I?"

For some strange reason, this man rubbed Dart the wrong way. Glaring at him, he raised his arms and called out one of his attacks. "DIVINE DRAGON CANNON!"

The monster disappeared in a bombardment of light and when the light faded there was nothing but scattered ash, drifting through the air. In a flash he took off for Shana and the young man. As he de-transformed near them, his fiancee wrapped her arms about him for comfort and reassurance. "You didn't get hurt, did you Dart?"

He tweaked her nose with his finger tip, "You shouldn't be the one to ask that question. Are /you/ okay?"

"Yes, but only because of the person who rescued me." She bowed her head, gesturing to the young man who was now accompanied by the person who had to have been the Darkness Dragoon. Dart stared at the two in shock.

The young man was boyishly handsome, unruly brown hair and bright green eyes. He wore reddish-brown armor decorated with faint gold. It was looked lighter than Dart's own, but stronger. The shoulder plates were close to his body, and armor hugged his chest and stomach. Black pants ran down into black boots that ended mid-calf on him. He wore two reddish-brown arm-guards, along with a knee guard on his right leg.

But he wasn't the one Dart was really paying attention to. Dressed in armor that could have been the twin's to her companion's armor, the woman that was the Dragoon of the Black Burst Dragon made him catch his breath. The only difference in what she wore -- was that instead of arm-guards -- she had black gloves reaching all the way up to her elbow and around her wrists there was a band of silver colored metal. Her color scheme was different too, black where her companion's was reddish-brown and silver where his was gold. Still the way she looked brought back memories of another Darkness Dragoon.

A Darkness Dragoon with long black hair that flowed down her back, its only containment a winged headpiece to keep it out of her face, and piercing violet eyes. A cold demeanor and a secretive heart. She had dressed in dark purple and gold armor. This Darkness Dragoon looked exactly like her, except for those small differences that meant the world. Her hair was braided down her back, there was no headpiece, her armor was different, and she looked several years younger. Even though he knew it was impossible for a person to come back from the dead, he asked the words that popped into his mind.

"Rose? Rose, is that you?"

The woman stared at him, raising her eyebrows, and the young man at her side rested a hand on her shoulder. She glared at him, but he ignored her and answered Dart. "No, her name is Meirra and I'm called Terran."

"And my name is Ewren." Dart turned and was confronted the man who was now the Dragoon of the Red-Eyed Dragon. He flashed Dart a sarcastic grin. "Nice to meet you."

*****


	5. Part Four: Dream of Fire

*stares in disbelief* This is the last part to revise . . . WHOOHOO!!!!

Deriick: *glares at the insane author from the couch* Some of us are trying to sleep you know?

Ore: I know. Just happy! And needing mucho sleep. *yawn*

Niela: *rolls eyes* Then finish this up and get some sleep.

Ore: . . . good idea . . .

/. . . denotes thoughts or that a certain word is emphasized. . . /

*. . . denotes mindspeech. . . *

. . . denotes flashback or vision. . . 

The Fate of Destiny

Part Four:

Dream of Fire

She never moved under Dart's unbelieving gaze as he circled around her, his voice filled with awe. "So you're the new Dragoon of Darkness . . . It's amazing how much you look like her."

She leaned slightly back, distasteful of his close proximity to her. Her movement only got her closer to Terran, who stood defensively behind her, prepared to back up her story. Inwardly, she grimaced. There was no way she could get any space to herself, everyone seemed to be closing in on her, watching her with disbelieving eyes. "Haven't we already gone over this?"

"Yeah," Now Meru was hovering above her, restored to nearly full health thanks to healing potions. Darkened circles under her eyes and the faded light from her wings led Rose to believe that she wasn't fully recovered. "You told us about who you are, it's just a shock that-"

"I look exactly like this Rose, who was the Darkness Dragoon before me, and was killed in the battle with Melbu Frahma!" Her temper was wearing thin. They were taking too long musing over the same thing when there was something much bigger at stake, plus they were a little too close to the truth for her liking. It was strange hearing of herself through the mouths of others, their mournful little sighs and fond memories of her. "You already explained this to us and I've heard the story more than once."

"Well, sorry!" The Wingly flew farther up into the air, miffed.

Rose tried not to grind her teeth together. She knew them so well, but now they had to learn all about her again . . . and for the sake of the world she couldn't tell them who she was. "We're spending a little too much time over the fact that I look like the old Darkness Dragoon. Aren't you wondering why you are here?"

Ewren, slightly distanced from them, tucked his chin into his chest, his body shaking with laughter held back. She did not like him, this new Fire Dragoon. There was a certain aura about him--of furtiveness and secretiveness--that put her on edge, even if one of those traits was very much her own. /Or maybe he's just too self-assured for my liking./

Shrugging, Haschel wiped his forehead with one of his hands, "We were all summoned here."

"Yes, we were. That was obvious," she was harsh to them, defensive, "but who do you think summoned us and why?"

"The Dragons." Ewren came closer, a smirk plastered on his face, "The Dragons are the ones that guided us to this place to see an Awakening."

Rose could not stop the expression of shock from appearing on her face. She thought that someone might have had a clue as to why they were here and why, but she had expected it to be only a vague idea coming from one of her old comrades. "How do you know this?"

He blinked innocently, as if he had presumed that everybody would know this and was becoming aware that this was not so. "My Dragon told me."

She frowned. Could it be that Ewren's Dragon was awake already? It was likely, considering how much activity that its Dragoon Spirit had received in the past year or two. The constant switching from person to person more so than any of the other Dragoon Spirits could have allowed its Dragon to become aware of what was going on. Her recent acquirement of her Dragoon Spirit had awakened her Dragon enough that she often invaded her thoughts, even if it was sleepily.

Speaking of which . . . *Not very happy having a someone sharing your mind, are you?* The soft, feminine, whispery voice invaded her mind, teasing her. 

*Just what I need. I think of you and you have to pop up! Leave me alone!*

There was a snorting sound, followed by the voice, *For now, but don't expect to get away so easily when I'm completely awake.*

*Which is something I am not looking forward to, no matter how much Endiness depends on it.* But her Dragon was already slumbering once more.

"Hang on a minute here." Miranda raised her hands, attracting everyone's attention to her, "What's this about Dragons and the Awakening? The dragons are dead."

Rose shook her head, gazing out the corner of her eye at Terran. He had better be prepared to back her up or he was going to be meeting the sharp point of her sword. "You are right and wrong. The dragons you are thinking of are dead, but those dragons aren't the ones that Ewren is referring to. He means the Dragons of Old."

"What?" Shana laid a hand on Dart's arm, doe-brown eyes wide.

"It's a long story, but it also explains why we are here."

Leaning forward, Albert cupped his chin in his hands, successfully ignoring the insects and smell of the Marshland, something that everyone had been trying to do. He was the fourth one to succeed in that way, Rose, Ewren, and Kongol were seemingly already immune to the area. That what it looked like anyways--if Rose could have her way, she would have obliterated the place in seconds. "Then explain. I imagine these Dragons of Old were the ones who . . . um . . . communicated with us?"

*He's a smart one, glad to hear the others are becoming aware.* The Dragon again, always butting into her business.

She nodded, so the other Dragons were slowly waking up as well. That was a good sign. "This might take awhile . . . I suggest we start moving towards Seventh Fort -- it shouldn't be too far away -- while I explain." She cast a scathing glance at Ewren, "If you have anything to add, please do so . . ."

He shrugged, "You know more than I do, I am quite sure."

"Fine, I'll begin."

*****

In all legends and tales of creation it is said that Soa alone created the Divine Tree that gave birth to all life on Endiness.

This is not true.

It was, perhaps, Soa's idea to create Endiness, but She did not create it alone. The God and Goddess of Tiberoa, Ilthin and Perli, the Goddess of Mille Seseau, Crena, along with other nameless Gods and Goddess' helped Her. But there was the Unnamed God that helped Her more than the others. He worked beside Her, gaining Her trust, until the day She found out His true intentions.

This God had been planning to make Endiness a completely different place than what She wished it to be. He had slowly corrupted some of the seeds of the Divine Tree, including what was to be the 108th fruit. She brought along fellow Gods and Goddess' to punish Him for this betrayal, but He was prepared with other Gods and Goddess' that were on His side. A war between these divine beings quickly commenced.

The Unnamed God had created several creations that were not born of the Divine Tree. His most powerful beasts ruled over the other monsters. He called them Wyrms and used them to distract and attack Soa and Her allies. They were powerful beasts--not even close to the power of the Gods--but powerful enough that the Unnamed God gained the upper hand. There was only one thing She could do and that was to create other beasts to fight back. She did so, creating one for each of the Wyrms, twelve in all, intelligent and powerful enough to match the Unnamed God's monsters. She called them Dragons.

This war was hard fought, but eventually Soa came out the victor. She could not destroy the Unnamed God, only trap him within a cage of her own power. When this happened, the eight Wyrms that still roamed Endiness and the beasts that followed them, disappeared, sinking beneath Endiness' soil to sleep until their God was freed.

Soa knew that one day the Unnamed God would escape His bonds, so She created a weapon and hid it. There is only one way to get to this weapon and that is by using a crystal disk known as the Eternity Key. It is both a map to this weapon's hiding place and the key to open it. 

As one last precaution, She sealed the eight surviving Dragons away, for She honored what they had done, but could not let them roam Endiness without worry. The Dragons gave part of their power to Her, creating eight stones that She used to make more dragons out of. When the 105th fruit broke open, She picked eight dragons to carry these stones. These stones later became known as Dragoon Spirits, and through their carriers, the Dragons use their powers to this day.

It is said that one day the Unnamed God will begin to break loose from Soa's bindings, and that when this happens his beasts will arise once more. These will be known as the Awakenings. During this time the Dragons must be found by those who carry the Dragoon Spirits and together they shall resist the Unnamed God. They will be Endiness' only and last hope.

*****

Kirri watched the hustle and bustle of Lohan, his eyes tracking the people who dashed about frantically, looking for a familiar face. He didn't recognize anybody. For the fifth time in the hour, for the thirty-fourth time since he had woken up that morning, and Soa knows how many times since he had begun his journey, he cursed his best friend's disappearance.

The people of Isren had gone into a panic when it had been Meirra and Terran had not returned home. Meirra's mother going as far as to have a nervous breakdown. It had been suspected that someone had kidnapped them . . . at least that was the general consensus of the people, but Kirri didn't think that was true.

Terran was too good of a fighter to be taken away . . . at least alive. Kirri knew this without a doubt -- they had fought together more than once. And Meirra . . . well, once he would have thought that she could have been snatched away without much trouble, but since the accident and her attitude change, he seriously doubted that. Both of them had left of their own free will and he was going to find out why.

So, several days ago he had left Isren, leaving a note saying that he was going to bring Terran and Meirra back. He had managed to track them all the way to Lohan, not that it had been hard. It was the most logical place for them to go to gather supplies. But now that he was here in Lohan, he had lost them. He had checked every shop, but there was no clue to where they had gone.

He bowed his head, letting his whole body relax. He relaxed a little too much in fact for the two sheets of paper he held in his hand, fluttered out of it, caught in the wake of a passerby. Kirri jumped into action, fearing that he would lose it and never find it again. He caught one piece before it even touched the ground, but he couldn't find the other. He cussed under his breath. /Of all the rotten luck-/

"Excuse me, sir. Is this yours?" Kirri looked down to find a girl of about twelve holding the missing sheet of paper.

He took it from her hand triumphantly, "Yes, it is! Thank you!"

"It was no problem, sir." She curtsied, "It's a very good drawing. I recognize that man from a couple of days ago."

His eyes shifted between the girl and the drawing he had done of Terran. Kirri had an artistic touch and Terran had been his model more than once because of their friendship. "You what?"

"That man, he stopped by the blacksmith's shop with a girl to pick up some armor."

"You do?" Kirri showed her the other sheet of paper, "Was this the girl? Do you know where they were heading?"

The girl nodded, a bright smile on her face, "Uh-huh, that's her. I think they went in the direction of the Marshland, if that helps any."

"It helps more than you realize." He cupped her face in his hands and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before rushing off. The girl blushed, watched him leave, and went to tell her friends of the handsome young man who had kissed her.

*****

Meru skipped along next to Miranda -- well, it wasn't exactly skipping since the Wingly never touched the ground, but it was close enough. "Would you stop that? You're giving me a headache!"

"All right," she stopped her erratic fluttering, "is that better? You don't have to be so crabby."

"Very much so." The blonde woman glanced over her shoulder, frowning as her eyes encountered the three newcomers to their group. "What do you think of them?"

"Them? Oh! Them." The Wingly twirled, a large grin coming over her delicate features, "That Terran-guy is pretty cute-"

Miranda snorted.

"And that Meirra-chick is just weird. It's like Rose all over again."

"I know." She cast another glance over her shoulder where Meirra stayed a little ways behind the rest of the group. "I would swear that she was Rose, if I-"

Meru cut her off, obviously not wanting Miranda to finish that sentence the way it was going. "If we hadn't heard from Terran's own mouth that they grew up together!"

"Um, yes." /If Meru doesn't want to go there, I won't. I would rather not think about her death either./

"Now Ewren. He's a strange one. Cute, but I don't know if I like him." She giggled, but the smile faded from face. "Do you really think that this Unnamed God is coming back? Is the story that Meirra told us true?"

"I believe so . . . I just wish I knew how /she/ knew this."

"Oh, weren't you listening? Meirra's Dragon is awake -- more so than ours -- and it gave the information to her. Or at least where to find the information. Turns out Isren has a library filled with books that can't be found anywhere else."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Albert kind of went off the wall at that . . ." Oh, was that what had caused him to shout in glee and act for several seconds out of character? Miranda had no longer been concentrating on the conversation at that point, only trying to get a feel for the three newcomers temperaments. "Wonder what we are going to do about this God though . . ." The day's events were wearing on Meru; she still wasn't fully back to her bouncing, cheerful self even after the Healing Rain she had been given, and the news of a new endangerment to the world wasn't helping her any.

Miranda sighed, slapped a insect that had landed on her arm, and smiled weakly, trying to lift the Wingly's spirit. It seemed odd that she would be doing that, Meru was usually the overly-hyper one in their group, while she was -- as much as it irked her -- the bitchy one. "That's why we are going someplace decent to rest and figure that out. Anything would be better than here!"

"Why, what are two fine ladies such as yourself doing up here all alone?" Ewren had approached from behind them and he slung an arm over Miranda's shoulder, grinning like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Being the vanguard for everybody else, perhaps?" She glared at him with icy blue eyes, "And would get you get your hands off of me? Now!"

Ewren lifted his arm up, "Don't be so defensive, sweetheart. I'm just wondering why in the world you're up here in this dangerous position and if you might need a little extra protection."

Miranda slowed her steps down for a second, her blue eyes taking on a sheen of iciness, "We don't need your 'extra protection.' Try Kongol and Haschel, they're the rearguard. They might need your help." She stalked away, catching up with Meru, and leaving Ewren by himself.

Meru giggled, "He was hitting on you."

"I know that," she cast a glare backwards, "and I don't care. He's an asshole and he's hiding something."

*****

The screams stole into the night air. The village stank of burned flesh and black columns of smoke curled into the sky, nearly indistinguishable from the dark. Mothers cradled children in their arms as they desperately ran from their doom. A monster's roar caused them to move all the faster.

It was a scene of chaos.

A scene of death.

All caused by the giant beast that had placed itself in the middle of the village. Blood red scales gleamed along its body, all edged in black. It was snake-like, long and sinuous, quick-striking, and a sharp-pointy head. Two leathery wings lay on its back, closed, and held tightly to its body. Two black fangs shimmered dangerously and when it opened its mouth, it let out a streak of red light that burned everything in its path, like fire.

As a young man watched, the beast fired a beam of that light at an old woman and little boy who had gotten within its sight. The light cut through them, burning away their flesh bit by bit as they screamed in agony. Even after the light had left them they still burned, hair afire, and sightless eyes scorched by the heat.

Still they lived, crying out in pain.

After an eternity, they fell, the flesh burned off leaving blackened bones. A mere mockery in death of what they had once been in life.

The young man took several steps back, gagging. How had he gotten here, to this horrid place of destruction and death? One moment he had been asleep in a bed and now he stood here. This couldn't be real. He did not want it to be real.

Yet, he knew it was.

All of this havoc and devastation was real someplace on Endiness. Deep in his heart he knew that this was not just his imagination producing nightmares for him in his sleep.

The beast turned its head, searching for more prey. The young man's green eyes filled with fear. It was looking right at him with dead gray eyes. But he was not what it saw. Its prey was the girl only a few years younger than the young man, hiding behind a barrel. The beast struck . . .

And time froze.

"This is the Red Wyrm. It has Awakened." A red-head woman dressed in white appeared from behind the beast.

"What?" The young man backed up even further in shock, "Who are you?"

"An old acquaintance of Rose's."

"You're the one that . . ." The young man never finished his sentence, his hand going to his chest only to feel cloth, not the armor he had been expecting.

"Yes, I had your armor made for you." The woman closed in on him and pulled something up that hung from his neck. "I, also, left this for you to wear." In her hand lay a crystal disk, shimmering with red, orange, and yellow. The colors reflected from the still fires around them.

"What is it?" His hand closed around her own.

She shook her head ruefully, "You already know. You've heard the story of why it was created."

"I have, but what does it lead to?"

The woman dropped her hand, bringing his with it. "A weapon that could save the world. You know that, too."

"What weapon?" He frowned as she turned away, "Don't leave without telling me! You have given this to me and I demand to know why and when I have to use it!"

"I-" The woman stilled and sighed, "It has been given to you for you now play a key part in what is to come, you are the only one that Rose can trust at this time, you will not act too hastily in using it . . . and you will be the least expected to be carrying it." She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "As for when you must use it, that is for you to decide, but never leave Rose's side. She is the only one who can use the weapon."

"What weapon does it lead to?"

"You are full of questions, aren't you?" The woman laughed lightly, "You will know the weapon when you see it, but it has never been named." She started to fade from view, "I am sorry, my time is up. Your dream must continue now."

"You mean that you didn't send me this dream?"

Even as she faded away, she bowed her head, "No. What you wear around your neck gives you these dreams. Every time a Wyrm Awakens, you shall have a dream of it. And every time a Wyrm Awakens, you have that much less time left. This is the second Wyrm to Awaken." And so she disappeared . . .

And the girl screamed.

The young man whirled, breath catching in his throat, watching as the Wyrm opened its mouth and caught the girl between its jaws right next to him. Its obsidian fangs pierced her body, one through her shoulder and the other through her stomach, and from their tips they dripped her red blood to the ground. She struggled for a moment, still fighting to live, her dark-blond hair streaked with black and red, and her gray eyes shimmering with tears and pain.

For one second it was as if she could see him as she reached out a hand, pleading for help. Biting back a sob, the young man reached forward, yearning to give her comfort, their fingertips nearly touching . . . and then the girl's hand jerked as the Wyrm crunched down harder on her dying body, her bones cracking as they surrendered themselves to be shattered. The girl let out a wail, wordless and heart-breaking as her life was reaped from her.

The young man fell to his knees, like the girl fell from the Wyrm's mouth as it lifted its head to the sky and bellowed out its triumph. The girl was shattered, torn, broke to bits. Splinters of bone were apparent all over her body, most covered in sickening red, while others glistened deadly white. Her gray eyes were dull, but the last traces of terror still could be seen in them.

She was dead.

The Red Wyrm still roared.

Terran sat up abruptly on the straw mat that was his bed for the night, his hands clenching his blankets so hard the knuckles were white. Sweat dripped from his face along with tears as the dream still played within his mind.

It had happened in reality. That girl had died . . . she wasn't a figment of his imagination. His hand reached up and pulled the crystal disk out from under his thin cotton shirt. A spark of horror rose up in hm when he realized that everytime time a Wyrm awoke he was going to have to go through the same thing.

He let the crystal disk slide out from his trembling hands. At least he would have a sense of how much time they had left . . . and how powerful the Wyrms were. In all, he did not fear carrying the Eternity Key.

He just wished that he had asked the red-headed woman how to make it work.

He wished.

*****

*Soa is trying to catch Me off guard.*

*What do you mean?*

*This woman . . . the one the others are shocked by. She is here by Soa's will, that I am sure of.*

*They all are.*

*I know that, fool, but this woman is different. I have suspicions that she is not who she says she is. Soa is trying to scrape one by on Me. I can't have that, not at all, but I do have you after all. And no one suspects anything, do they?*

*Not as far as I know. They don't like me, but they don't suspect anything.*

*Good. Keep an eye on that woman . . . and the young man who accompanies her as well.*

*As you wish . . . but I'm still expecting my reward after all of this is through!*

*And so you shall receive it. So you shall.*

*****

TBC . . .

*wipes forehead* Well, I'm done with revising. Yea!

Yinyl: *from under a pile of blankets on the floor* Now go to bed! You're driving us all nuts!

Ore: Heehee . . . sleep be good. *rubs eyes, yawning* But before I go to sleep, let it be known that part 5 is halfway completed and expect it to be appearing within a day or two . . . that is if I get to a comp with an internet connection during that time.

Deriick: *still glaring from his couch* That is, expect it from her in a day or two if she gets her butt in bed immediately. If she doesn't . . .

Ore: *yawn* All right, all right. Muses are so tempermental sometimes. *crawls off for bed*


	6. Part Five: In the Night

I'm baaaaack. *listens to numerous people faint in shock* Eh . . . anyway, anybody who is still waiting for a part of this, here it is! After nearly eight months . . . And may I say that those who have been waiting for this have an abnormal amount of patience.

And on the same note I would like to tell everyone that no matter how long it takes me, I will finish this fic series. Sometimes I have reasons why I don't write on it and at other times, I don't, but I will finish it!

The prologue and all of the parts leading up to this one have been revised. Not too much, but some stuff has been changed.

Deriick: Can we get on with the fic now?

Ore: *shrugs* I think I haven't forgotten anything.

Yinyl: What about our bribe?

Ore: *glowers* Wait until after the fic . . .

Things to know:

/. . . denotes thoughts or that a certain word is emphasized. . . /

*. . . denotes mindspeech. . . *

. . . denotes flashback or vision. . . 

The Fate of Destiny

Part Five:

In the Night

The fog had crept in during the night, winding about and through the gnarled vegetation of the Marshland, creeping about until the ground was nothing but white mist. It really did not make the Marshland anymore appealing, just managed to lend a hand in the department of gloomy and more gloomy. Gazing out one of the few windows of the newly built Seventh Fort, Meru crinkled up her nose. This last part of the journey out of the Marshland was promising not to be pleasant . . . like most of their journey so far, anyway.

She twirled away, doing a quick count of the other occupants in the small common room. Several knights of Seventh Fort, plus Haschel, Albert, Ewren, Kongol and the Rose look-alike were the only ones up so far. That left Dart, Shana, Miranda and Terran in bed. She bounced irritably on one foot, "Where is everyone else? We're supposed to leave soon!" Not that she was looking forward to traveling in the damn fog, but the sooner they left, the sooner they were out of the Marshland.

"Still sleeping, Meru. The last couple of days have been tiring for all of us." Albert was busy, combing his fingers through his hair in a bid to get the tangles out of it. None of them had washed. Clean water was a precious commodity in the Marshland. "Plus we have no idea where we are heading, yet."

She rocked backwards, "I know! I was nearly made one with the scenery. But I feel better now and I want to leave! I don't care where to."

From the dark corner were she sat, Meirra stood up, her swift strides carrying her to the door that led to the small barracks of Seventh Fort quickly. Haschel raised an eyebrow in her direction. "Where do you think you're going, pretty lady?"

That cold face turned towards the martial artist and Meru shivered. Meirra was just too creepy in more than one way. It would be a good thing to keep out of her way. "Where do you think I'm going, old man? Certainly not back to bed."

"Ah, maybe it would be wiser to let everyone sle-" Haschel's little suggestion was cut off as the door to the barracks swung open -- causing Meirra to move back a few steps in haste -- and a ruffled, grumpy looking Miranda appeared.

Her blond hair was a mess -- there was nothing that was going to fix that until she got a bath -- but her blue eyes looked startlingly clear for someone who had seemingly just woken up. "Stupid girl . . . brain . . . head . . ." she mumbled, glaring at the floor as if its mere existence was an offense to her.

"Hey, Miranda!" Someone else was up! Meru clapped her hands together, "Was anyone else stirring?"

Those blue eyes shot up and blinked, "Up?" She glanced backwards, her mouth pulling downward in a frown. She wasn't happy with something, "Well, Shana was busy throwing up in the privy and Dart's with her. They'll be out in a few minutes."

"What?" Albert paused in his movements, turning a concerned glance behind Miranda at the now closed door. "Is she all right?"

"She's fine." Miranda made her way to the small table where their breakfast of cheese and bread was out. "I took care of it." She grabbed a piece of the bread and crammed it in her mouth, once more grumbling under her breath. Meru thought she caught a garbled, "for now," but it was possible that she was just hearing things.

Something had made her irrationally irritable, though, and Meru was going to have to find out later in the day. Her curiosity would not be sated until she did. And if that didn't work, she would at least have to try and get Miranda out of her funk.

There was a soft snort, "Terran is still asleep." Meirra moved to open the door once again . . . and it swung open, causing her to jump back with a very, very unhappy look on her face.

Out stumbled Terran looking as if he had not slept in several days. His dark brown hair lay mussed open his head, his face was pale and haggard and underneath bloodshot green eyes dark bags hung. He had that glazed, zombie look that told Meru he really wasn't quite aware of what he was doing.

Ewren smirked, "Well, it looks like somebody has had a late night." His eyes darted from Terran to Meirra, the smirk growing. "Was it fun?"

There was a shocked silence in the room -- the knights trying to ignore the situation that seemed to be building -- where the rasping sound of a dagger being drawn could be heard. Meirra delicately balanced the dagger in her hand having been the one to draw it from the sheath at her side. Her violet eyes narrowed at Ewren. Terran straightened, his green eyes furious.

"Do you want to die today?"

"Shut up, Ewren, or I'll kill you."

Blink went several people's eyes. Meirra and Terran met gazes before Meirra turned away, stalking back to her dark corner, sheathing the dagger, but not before giving Ewren a deadly look. Terran hunched his shoulders and stomped his way over to one of the common room's tables, as far away as he could get from the red-headed man. Terran's attitude was certainly a change from the one Meru has seen over the past couple of days while leaving the quagmire. It was not a change for the good.

Ewren raised his hands in an innocent gesture, one red eyebrow raised in amusement. "No need to take anything so seriously. All of you are wound up too tightly for your own good."

No one answered him, except for a dismissing grunt from Terran.

Oh dear, this did not look like this day was going to be pleasant. Not at all. /I wonder if some sort of mood bug is going around. Seems that way./

Everyone seemed to be keeping to themselves. Meirra, alone in her dark little corner was staring into nowhere. Ewren lounged against a wall, eyeing everyone else in the room. Albert was busy chatting with one of his knights, while Haschel joked around with Kongol, who was in higher spirits than he had been lately. At least someone felt good. Still standing by herself, chewing her bread and uttering unheard words at the floor. Oooookaaay . . .

Meru hopped over to the breakfast table, drawing a few looks that quickly shrugged her off. Several people needed cheering up and she was going to do her best to do so. Straightening the bow on her skirt, she snatched up a piece of bread and cheese and -- after a moment's consideration -- she poured a cup of java.

Haschel caught her in the act. "Meru . . ."

"Hmm . . ." She raised garnet eyes to his own, then giggled at his concerned look that was darting from between her to the cup of java. Everyone that knew her had a fear of her actually drinking the brown liquid. She had never liked the taste of the stuff, but it was sort of fun to see their reactions when she did drink it. Not many people were equipped to handle a Meru that was bouncing off the walls. She flashed a smile full of white teeth at him. "Don't worry! Not for me!" Especially a Meru that was already too energetic in the morning for most people's wishes.

"Good. Kongol no want insane Meru." The Giganto joked as she paraded by -- food and java in her hands -- patting her platinum hair fondly.

She sniffed in an attempt to be disdainful, "I'm not that bad."

"Don't think so."

She grinned at Kongol's parting remark and flounced away to leave the martial artist and the Giganto alone.

Until she plopped down the bread, cheese and cup of java on the rough, wooden table, the object of her intent never realized she was coming towards him. He jumped slightly -- startled like a wild animal by a loud noise -- and raised green eyes to her own garnet ones. "Oh . . ." his glanced at her before staring at the food in bewilderment for a moment. "Oh . . . thank you." He gave her a tired grin.

"No prob, Terran." She perched herself on the table's edge. Sure, she had been told many times that it was improper to do so, but did she care? No. And definitely not in Seventh Fort where the chairs were made out of the same splintery wood. She was going to have to get Albert to fix that before she every went through the Marshland again . . . if she ever went though it again. "Food does the body good!"

Terran's grin grew bigger. "Are you always so cheerful in the mornings?"

"Only when I'm awake!" She kicked her bare legs back and forth. Why be still when you could always move something? "Miranda likes to complain that I act younger than a seven-year-old."

Taking a sip of the java, Terran raised an eyebrow. "You do act younger than your age . . ."

"Eh, why be an adult when there are so many of them around?"

"Interesting philosophy." A bite of bread went missing and he chewed thoughtfully, though with a small smile gracing his face.

"It gets me through life." Now here was the hard part. She had gotten him out of his dismal mood, but she had to find out why he had been in it in the first place. "If you don't mind . . . why do you look like a bunch of wild horses ran over you during the night?"

He swallowed the lump of bread, "Just bad dreams."

"About killing the monsters?" She had those when she had first left the Wingly Forest. Not exactly of killing the monsters, but of the monsters killing her. They had frightened her -- a sheltered Wingly from the world. It could be frightening to Terran -- he seemed sort of an innocent farm boy, despite his talent with the swords he carried.

"No, but it was about a monster." Crumbs of bread fell to the table as he slowly tore it into pieces. Maybe this hadn't been a good idea. His face became worried, "I'm sorry. I . . . don't think I can tell y-"

The barrack door swung open to reveal a Shana that looked as if she hadn't an ill day in her life and a harried Dart.

"Morning!" Shana chirped.

"Are you feeling well, Shana?" Albert asked her, concern clear on his face.

"I'm fine." She did a quick bow and a twirl to prove it. "Thanks to Miranda."

A Miranda that had switched her glaring from the floor to Shana in an instant. Meru bit the inside of her lip. Miranda was angry at Shana. That was odd.

"Yes, we were wondering when you two were going to appear." Haschel winked at both Dart and Shana. "We're quite ready to leave, but where we are going to is still undecided."

Sitting down at a table, Albert drummed his fingers on the wood, a random hollow sound echoing lightly in the now still room. "The fate of Endiness is in our hands once more and we do not know where to begin."

Dart sagged, leaning against the wall and running a hand through his unruly dark-golden locks. "You're right. I'm up to suggestions on where we should begin."

"The Dragons. We find the Dragons and Awaken them." Arms crossed across his chest, this was the first time that Meru had seen the new Fire Dragoon look serious. "With the threat of the Wyrms Awakening, it's the most sensible thing to do."

"You don't exactly seem like someone who is sensible." Ouch. Dart was not exactly a happy camper with Ewren as a companion. Did the red-headed man manage to get everyone against him?

There was a flash of pearly white teeth as Ewren smiled, "I surprise even myself sometimes."

Albert stepped in, apparently trying to be the voice of reason and leadership while Dart tried to glare holes through Ewren. "It is a good idea, Ewren, but how are we supposed to find the Dragons. We have nothing to go on. It would be like searching through a dark cave with nothing to go on."

"We don't have nothing to go on. We have something." Meirra stepped forward, her head held proud. "In Isren's library, I came across a poem. I believe it states where we may begin our search to find the Dragons."

Meru could almost feel everyone's ears perk up. Dart leaned forward in her direction. "Do you remember what it says?"

Behind her, Meru could hear Terran draw in a quick breath and looking back she saw his face with a look on it that was almost frightened and his hand grasped his empty cup so tightly, his knuckles were white. Was he nervous? And what was he nervous about?

"Of course I do," came her reply, sharp, cold and confident. That was what Meirra seemed to be all about. Sharp, cold and confident. Meru was nearly fooled into believing she was Rose, again. They were so similar, they could have been one. Meirra could have been Rose, except dead people didn't come back from the dead. Wiping the tears that threatened to run out of her eyes, she watched as Meirra clutched her hands in front of her and recited:

"Sands of death reign o'er land

Dragons of Old lost, ne'er to be found.

Oasis in death, haven in sand

The journey begins here for the Old

Where the breath of eternal spring is found.

The path of the Old, began in the oasis

Ne'er to be found by the ones lacking their heart.

Dragons of the Old, awaiting their souls."

There was quiet, then, "Kongol confused."

"You're not the only one." Miranda threw a sympathetic look at the Giganto. Ha! Meru stifled a laugh. The Silver-White Dragoon was being unnaturally crabby, but she seemed to be coming out of it. It was sort of cute. Miranda trying to be comforting that is. She tended to be an overly serious person.

Dart frowned, "Do you have any idea where it is telling us to go?"

"I just memorized it." A cool, calm look was directed back at him.

Dart groaned.

"Sands . . . death . . . c'mon, why does that ring a bell?" All eyes turned to the King of Serdio. His forehead was crunched up in concentration and his mutterings drew the attention of all. Well, if one of them was going to figure the stupid rhyme out, it was likely to be him. "Oasis . . . death. I can't think why it sounds so familiar . . . breath . . . eternal spring. I feel I should know what it's talking about, but I just can't remember." Hopeless golden-brown eyes looked up at everyone.

Meru barely noticed. Something Albert was saying was ringing a bell. Sands . . . death . . . It was so hot. Too hot. Every step was a victory. The sand stung her eyes . . . oasis . . . breath . . . eternal spring . . . eternal . . . oasis . . . spring . . . breath . . . spring breath . . . A beautiful city. Water flowing from fountains, flowers blooming everywhere. Wonder. An oasis in the middle of a land of death.

"ALBERT!" she shrieked, leaping from her seat and literally flying at the Wind Dragoon. She knocked him from his seat and onto the ground, where she promptly sat on his chest and kissed his cheeks. "You're a genius." Then she was up and grabbed the hands of her nearest victim -- which happened to be a shocked Ewren -- swinging him around in an erratic dance. "I know where to goooooo!"

"Meru . . ."

"We can leave!" She let go of Ewren's hands to stick her tongue at the window and the dismal scene it displayed. "Can't keep us here anymore!" She mocked the Marshland.

"Meru!"

"Freedom! Mwahahahaha!" she jumped on top of a table. "We can leave!"

"MERU!!"

She stopped, staring at a bewildered Dart. "Yes?" she smiled innocently.

Dart rolled his eyes, "Where do you think the poem is telling us to go?"

Meru tilted her head to one side, allowing a sly smile to grow. "It's sort of easy to figure out once you start /really/ thinking about it."

The smile grew.

"We have to go to Ulara . . . the Spring Breath Town."

*****

All around them, their companions chattered, but Rose and Terran there was a pocket of silence. Terran cleared his throat, "You scared me there for a moment."

Still more silence.

He hissed in irritation, "The poem. I thought you were going to give yourself away. How did you come up with it that fast?"

"I've learned a few tricks in the time that I've lived." Her lips curved downward into a frown. "What do you care if I give myself away? It's not your problem."

He remembered his dream from the night before and had to fight against the clenching of his stomach in fear. The Red Wyrm . . . that pretty young girl . . . Shirley and her cryptic words . . . and the Eternity Key to keep with him. A heavy burden that no one must know about. "Maybe it is more my problem than you think."

He picked up his pace and moved away from her.

Further back in the group -- acting as rearguard -- Miranda was speaking harshly to the ex-Moon Child. "Shana, I know you knew about this before you even left Seles. Why did you come?"

Shana's delicate hands worried at the edge of her white tunic. "I thought maybe . . . I couldn't let him go alone." Her dark brown eyes were slowly filling with tears and Miranda fought down a wave of pity that washed over her. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to him and I wasn't there."

"Well, you're going to have to let him go, soon enough." She grabbed Shana's arm, making it look like a gesture of comradeship, rather than what it was. A move to keep a frightened person from running away. "Does he even know? Because I can't imagine him letting you come along if he knew." She knew her voice was rising in pitch and she controlled in, making it drop down into an angry, low whisper. "You're at least three months along. Have you told him?"

Her voice hoarse and on the edge of breaking, Shana answered her, "No . . . I was going to, but I couldn't find the right time to . . . and then this came up . . . and I didn't think." She broke off in a hysterical little sob.

"That's your problem, isn't it, Shana?" She tucked her all-too tangled blonde hair behind an ear. She loved the woman who had been the Silver-White Dragoon before her, but sometimes she was just too damn naive about some things. "You didn't think. You didn't think about the baby. You didn't think that I would be able to tell! I'm the Light Dragoon, for Soa's sake! I can tell! Especially after this morning." Deep breath. No reason to make her have a complete breakdown. "You have to tell him, Shana. You have to tell him and then you have to stay behind."

"I-I know."

"Good." Miranda stared at the ground, something that was becoming a habit. There wasn't much to see, just vegetation in various stages of decay and the odd -- and unusual -- bugs that crawled around down there. Okay, maybe she didn't need to look at the ground. "You have to tell him by the time we reach the fork. If you don't, I will."

"No," Shana pleaded, "Please, give me until Hoax. Let me stay with him that much longer."

What was it like to love somebody so much that you would do anything to have a moment longer to stay by their side? She didn't know . . . but it couldn't hurt Shana to let her journey with them for a few more days. "All right. Until Hoax, but the morning we leave there I expect you to have told him you're pregnant. Understand?"

"Yes." Grateful eyes shined brightly at her. "Thank you, Miranda. Thank you so much."

Miranda sighed. She could never stay made at Shana for too long.

*****

The inn rooms at Hoax were comfortable. Light from the lanterns hanging in them, dashed off the warm, brown walls and splashed itself upon patched quilts. The rooms weren't too big, just enough space for the beds and the small stands next to them. Comfy and quaint described the rooms quite nicely.

Shana crossed her legs, sitting on the single bed that occupied the room, watching as Dart took off his armor, piece by piece. They had been left to share a room together, not that they minded.

"Dart?" Her clasped her knees and she stared at them, where pale flesh lay on white fabric.

He placed the last piece of his armor on top of the pile and glanced over his shoulder. "Yes."

"I have something to tell you . . ." Oh, how was she going to do this? She hadn't meant to keep it from him, but no time seemed like the right time. Her hands tightened on her knees as tears welled up in her eyes and started falling. Why was she crying? She didn't want to cry.

"Shana, are you all right?" He moved to her side, she felt the bed sink under his weight and wrapped an arm around her. "What are those tears for?"

She curled up against him, clutching his shoulders, feeling the scratchy cloth that covered them, needing the reality of him actually being there. He was so solid. Her hands slid down to his sides and her arms wrapped around his waist. He was so warm, too. And loving. She was afraid to let him go.

"I love you," she sobbed into his shirt.

He stilled, then chuckled, a rumble that vibrated throughout his entire body. "Is that what you have to tell me? I know that already." He kissed the top of her head, a gentle, reassuring touch. "And I love you, too."

Oh, how she wished that was all she had to tell him. She shook her head, pulling away from his comforting touch. "No . . . that's not it." She idly touched the wet spot she had left on his shirt, distantly amused by it. She never cried like this, over such little things.

Or was it such a little thing? Bringing a child into the world . . .

"Shana?" he was concerned now. He didn't know what to think of her erratic behavior.

She placed her hands on her stomach, where she thought she could feel the first bit of a swell. Then she looked up into his wonderful blue eyes. He needed to know and she had promised Miranda. "Dart, there's something you need to know." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I won't be leaving with you, tomorrow. I'm going back to Bale to stay with Emille."

That hand he had put upon her shoulder was now caressing her slender neck. There was a note of confusion in his voice, "Why?"

"It's because . . . " Deep breath. "It's because I'm pregnant, Dart."

*****

It was late. Extremely late. All of the lights in Hoax were out, everyone tucked within beds, safe and sound. He should be in bed even -- possibly more than others -- he had to be awake to leave with his /companions/ when the sun rose. His roommate was asleep, or at least pretending to be asleep. He didn't care.

He stared out the window, at that small shining moon in the sky. His sister loved that moon. She -- they -- had first seen it right after the Moon That Never Sets had fallen. It had been there all the time, just hidden behind something unnatural. Its name was Revl'ic.

His sister loved that name, too. She would laugh, such a rich, bright sound, and roll it off of her tongue, savoring the sound of it. She took such joy in the small things. No matter what, she took joy from something. It was just her way of surviving. And his way of surviving had been to take joy in her joy.

The figure he held in his hand glowed softly in Revl'ic's light. It highlighted the spikes along the back and tail, the miniature scales etched into the wood, that long nose and the two small beads of obsidian that had been used as eyes. His sister had been so excited when she had gotten from their father. The last thing their father had ever been able to give her. "Look!" she had cried, her hazel eyes bright. "It's a dragon!"

Dragons. The creatures of myth. She loved those, too. The stories of gigantic beasts that flew through the air and swam through the sea. And this represented that to her, with its head curved backwards and its tail tucked next to its side. This was her dream. She would have given anything to be in his place.

If only she could.

He remembered her shouting into the sky, just because she could. She would dance in the rain, her hands reaching to catch the drops. She would run through the streets, calling for him to keep up, laughter in her voice.

That was what once had been.

He had left her with a kiss while she lay cradled on a small bed, her face pale and her red hair spread across the pillow like blood. Unable to move, because of the mysterious disease that had struck her, eating away at her ability to stand, to move her legs. I'll come back, he had told her. Then he had given her a promise.

She had smiled. Then kissed him on the cheek, nodding. A soft hand had slipped the dragon into his money pouch. "For good luck," she whispered. "And so that Mommy and Daddy can watch over you."

She would have done nearly anything to trade places with him. He would do anything so that she would be able to trade places with him. In fact, he was trying. Even now he could feel that burning presence within himself and hear that dark muttering in the back of his head that did not quite belong.

*I will give you what you want . . . want. Just do what I say . . . Listen to me . . .*

He rolled the small wooden figure in his hands. I'll come back, he had told her. That he would come back and they would never have to worry about anything again. And she would be able to run in the streets like she used to. He had promised. Then he told her to look for Revl'ic every night and think of him, for he would be looking at it and doing the same.

"I'm still keeping true to my promise." he turned the small, wooden dragon over in his hands, polished wood gliding over callused palms. "And when I come back, you'll be able to walk again." A drop of water fell from his face. "You'll be able to walk, then I'll fly you to Revl'ic on the back of the Dragon. Just like your dreams."

"You can ride on the back of my Dragon and we can fly through the skies, just me and you . . . with maybe another companion, hm?" He gave a silent laugh. "Nah, you never liked any of the women I had those 'flings' with as you call them."

"I /will/ come back to you and keep my promise, Jaz. No matter what, because I love you."

*****

TBC . . .

Ha! That part's finished! *happy dance*

Yinyl: *rolls eyes* Finally.

Ore: *glare* Fine, be that way. *stalks off*

Deriick: Hey! She didn't give us a bribe.

Niela: *clears throat* Actually, she sort of did. It was something along the lines of "If you even think of leaving, I'm coming after you with Albert's lance and spearing you like a shish kebab."

Deriick: Oh . . . that's not what I would call a bribe. ^__^;;

Yinyl: *looks disgruntled* Authors are such erratic people . . .


End file.
